What a Freshman Senator Can Teach CEOs About Building Bipartisan Coalitions
In the world of business and politics, the conventional wisdom is that first‑term leaders should keep their heads down, avoid controversial fights, and build relationships slowly. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona did the opposite. In his first year in the U.S. Senate, he took on one of the most sensitive foreign policy issues of the era: moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. He faced a hostile administration, a skeptical State Department, and a Senate where seniority usually rules. Yet within months, he had built a veto‑proof coalition of 95 senators and 374 House members. His playbook, detailed in the new book “Because It’s Just and Right: The Untold Back‑Story of the US Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem” by Farley Weiss and Leonard Grunstein, offers a masterclass in coalition‑building, negotiation, and long‑term execution.
Lesson One: Find the Moral Core
Kyl’s motivation was not political calculation. According to Weiss and Grunstein’s book, Kyl was a Presbyterian Christian whose Arizona constituency included few Jewish voters. He pursued the Jerusalem Embassy Act because he believed it was “the morally right thing to do.” In business, leaders often fail because they chase short‑term wins or popularity. Kyl understood that a project anchored in genuine conviction attracts allies who might otherwise disagree on everything else. Senators as diverse as Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut Democrat), Daniel Patrick Moynihan (New York Democrat), and Bob Dole (Kansas Republican) could unite around a principle, even when they disagreed on other issues. The book quotes Kyl directly: “The most frequent question I get asked from folks is: what inspired me to go to Senator Dole with this initiative and press for its passage? Really, the answer is quite simple: it was the morally right thing to do.” Kyl’s lesson: start with a clear, defensible moral center. It becomes the gravitational force that pulls diverse factions together.
Lesson Two: Enlist a Heavyweight Early
Kyl was a freshman, which meant institutional muscle was essential. The book describes how he immediately approached Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and asked him to become the lead sponsor. Dole’s involvement did two things. First, it signaled to other senators that the bill was serious and had leadership backing. Second, it allowed Kyl to leverage Dole’s relationships and stature without demanding credit for himself. Weiss and Grunstein record that Kyl later explained he followed Ronald Reagan’s famous dictum: “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” In any organization, finding a respected senior champion can turn a marginal idea into a priority. Kyl did not wait for Dole to come to him; he proactively made the ask. This is a direct lesson for CEOs: do not assume that your junior status prevents you from leading. The key is to persuade a senior figure that your idea serves their interests as well.
Lesson Three: Build a Bi‑Partisan Coalition, Not a Partisan One
The Clinton administration opposed the bill. Democratic leaders might have been tempted to block it as a favor to the White House. Kyl neutralized this risk by making the legislation genuinely bipartisan. The book details how he recruited Senator Joseph Lieberman, a respected Democrat and Orthodox Jew, as a co‑sponsor. He won the support of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the renowned Democratic intellectual who had fought the UN’s “Zionism is racism” resolution. He even worked with Senator Dianne Feinstein, who initially sought to water down the bill, to find compromise language. By the time the bill reached the floor, 95 out of 100 senators voted yes. Weiss and Grunstein reveal that Kyl’s staff, particularly Jeanine Esperne and Glenn Hamer, spent countless hours in cross‑aisle meetings, identifying each senator’s concerns and addressing them. The lesson: do not assume opponents are permanent enemies. Find the subset of issues where compromise is possible, and build trust incrementally.
Lesson Four: Use Legislative Engineering, The Waiver Provision as a “Save”
One of the most ingenious aspects of Kyl’s strategy was the presidential waiver provision. According to the book, the administration argued that the bill infringed on executive power and could harm national security. Rather than fight this objection head‑on, Kyl and Dole agreed to insert a clause allowing the president to delay the embassy move for six‑month periods if he determined it was necessary for national security. This waiver satisfied the White House’s legal concerns, saved the bill from a likely veto, and allowed it to pass overwhelmingly. Critics at the time called it a sellout, but Kyl understood that a law on the books, even with a waiver, was far more powerful than a failed bill. Weiss and Grunstein note that the waiver provision kept the Jerusalem Embassy Act alive for 22 years until a president chose not to exercise it. For business leaders, this is a classic “agree on the framework, fight over implementation later” strategy. A contract or deal that includes escape clauses is still vastly better than no deal at all.
Lesson Five: Patience Over Two Decades
The Jerusalem Embassy Act passed in 1995, but the embassy did not open until 2018. Every six months, presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama invoked the waiver. Kyl, by then retired from the Senate, never gave up. The book describes how he continued to advise, speak, and encourage successive administrations. Co‑author Farley Weiss remained in contact with Kyl for decades, and Kyl was later honored by Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer, who brought a personal letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking him for his extraordinary friendship. The lesson is that some goals are measured in years, not quarters. Kyl did not need immediate gratification. He understood that putting the law in place created a permanent structure that would eventually be activated by a future leader who shared his conviction.
Lesson Six: Know When to Let Others Take the Lead
When President Trump finally decided to recognize Jerusalem and move the embassy, Kyl was not in the room. He had not been part of the Trump campaign or administration. But his legislative framework was the indispensable foundation. Weiss and Grunstein quote Glenn Hamer, Kyl’s former staff member, who later wrote to Farley Weiss: “Senator Kyl was the true author of the legislation and the member of Congress most responsible for pushing it through a tricky and difficult legislative process.” Yet Kyl never sought public credit. He was content that the goal was achieved. In any organization, the ability to let others execute your vision while you provide the structural support is a hallmark of mature leadership.
What CEOs Can Apply Today
The book makes clear that Kyl’s approach offers concrete tools for any executive who needs to align a diverse team around a controversial initiative. First, anchor in a shared moral or strategic principle that transcends narrow self‑interest. Second, recruit a respected internal champion with more authority than you possess. Third, build support across all factions, not just your natural allies. Fourth, compromise on implementation details to secure agreement on the core objective. Fifth, accept that success may take years and require multiple attempts. Sixth, forgo credit when doing so advances the mission.
The Jerusalem Embassy Act was not a piece of business legislation, but the methods that passed it are purely business in their logic: identify a goal, build a coalition, engineer a compromise, and wait for the right moment to act. As Weiss and Grunstein conclude in “Because It’s Just and Right,” Jon Kyl was a freshman senator, but he led like a seasoned CEO. That is a lesson worth studying in any boardroom.
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