Ducks In A Row: Leaders are NOT Silver Bullets
by Miki Saxon
Recently Dan McCarthy asked if there was a leadership crisis or is it a branding issue and I’ve been stewing ever since. (Please take a moment to read the post and the discussion.)
I’ve been stewing not so much because I disagree with Dan’s individual points, but because I disagree with the whole leadership-for-the-chosen-few attitude prevalent since the end of WWII.More than that, I am vehemently against the leader-as-a-silver-bullet school of thought.
The extent of this attitude has become glaringly apparent and the Presidential election is the highest profile example.
Yes, I voted for Obama, but not with any expectation that he could take office and resolve the global economic crisis, provide an abundance of high-paying jobs and reverse outsourcing, end our involvement in the wars and provide universal healthcare during his first year—or even his first four years.
There is no human being on the planet who could have accomplished any one, let alone all, of those goals.Hero-leaders, god-like leaders, God-as-leader—none are going to lead us anywhere because none is universally acceptable.
And it is time to stop looking to others to clean up our messes.
Real change starts as a grass roots effort, not as the vision of a larger-than-life figure with a title that is more like a target.
But we love to have a scapegoat; someone to shoulder the responsibility and take the blame for an effort doesn’t work—and that we can laud in the event that it does.
Remember when financial writers talked about share prices and compared 2005 prices to their pre dot bomb highs?
I think that comparing leaders/managers who functioned brilliantly during an up economy to those are performing now is just as ridiculous—there is no similarity between running a company in 1999 or 2006 and now.
Just as importantly, I believe we have a crisis in ‘followers’, both the actions and the brand.
Initiative is expected in the select ‘high potential’ few, but if you aren’t in that group initiative is often shot down. So, by de facto definition, followers are lower; a lesser breed from which to expect little more than compliance.
When high potential is identified early “late bloomers” are often nipped in the bud—or leave to flower somewhere else.
Developing and rewarding initiative, no matter the source, helps build leadership into a core competency throughout the organization.
That, in turn, builds strong, thinking followers and positions the company to thrive no matter what.
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Image credit: ZedBee|Zoë Power on flickr
December 8th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Obama has as much chance of becoming our savior as a Macy’s parade balloon. I agree completely that there is no ultimate leader or savior who will swoop in and save us from the mess we have created. Thus far, our leader has tried to throw money, money and more money at our economic land slide with only a ripple of positive coming from it. When criticism comes his way he adds hot air to his money solution and stirs it for an hour or so on national TV. The sitcoms he displaced offer more salvation to the country than his finely scripted rhetoric; at least the adversities get their products in front of a few million couch potatoes.
In today’s world, the creams of the crop are not running for political office, they are slowly and methodically making their businesses successful. They use sound judgment and tied and true business practices to produce quality products and price them competitively. Gosh what a novel idea!
There is an epidemic in our society – people are allergic to taking responsibility for their actions. Until we find a cure for this epidemic, we will flounder. Mother Theresa died several years ago. She was the closest the world has come to a modern day savior but even she could not solve the woes of the world. We need to instill in everyone the concept of responsibility; actions have consequences and it is up to all of us to accept responsibility for our actions. When you are responsible for breaking something, step up and fix it, don’t just walk away.
The concept of one person being able to solve all of our problems is no more a reality than the magic diet pill. Both are figments of our imagination.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Hi Judy, a few years ago the “creme of the crop” were assumed to be running and working on Wall Street—until it was run into the ground. I think there have been/are good leadgers in every industry and I agree with you as to how they build their companies.
And while I agree with the epidemic you describe, I don’t think Mother Theresa was even close to any kind of societal savior. Anyone who steps up to work on modern ills needs to work within the current societal framework; she did great good, but not within that structure and I doubt that anyone is capable of performing radical surgery on global thinking.
Sadly, people will keep looking for a silver bullet leader; after all think of all the magic diet pills sold daily, not to mention the billions of magic male growth pills.
Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation; please come back soon.