Leadership: In Crisis And Otherwise

Leadership Models
Debate about what leadership means can rage endlessly, and often does. Definitions of leadership abound, each with at least a superficial aura of ‘gee, that makes sense. But there’s lots of variance among definitions and definitive examples.

Some would hold up Attila the Hun (not to be confused with the calypso singer of the same name) as one model. It’s difficult to quibble with the selection of someone lost in the mists of time, whose nomination has been in the hands of historians, an occasionally shaky group with axes to grind and perspectives to hone and a less-than-stellar record of getting it right in high school and college textbooks.

Others, influenced by a book they pretended to have read in order to get through one university course or another, might promote Niccolo Machiavelli. Little Nicky, as he may have been known, was arguably the father of modern political science, but hardly qualifies as a leader. He was a consigliere.

European kings were de facto considered to be leaders, for centuries. Serious scholarship has shown, however, that many were, in fact, not. Simple peasants and powerful lords of church and state alike took the Divine appointment of kings and such to automatically include leadership qualities.

Most glossed over the reality that the Divine appointment was only valid until a more ruthless competing family was able to oust the incumbents. Said another way, until leaders replaced non-leaders by whatever means necessary. The English were particularly adept at these maneuvers.

Many examples of leaders and leadership are put before us regularly. Several of these are self-anointed. But, it is fair to ask, when all leadership attributes have been considered, if Donald Trump is a leader. Or Rudolph Giuliani outside of New York City. Or Jack Welch outside of General Electric. Given all that the country- and the world ? have been going through over the past several months, it seems that we are crying out for leaders and leadership. All of us.

The Political Version
In modern times, anyone running to be President of the United States has found it necessary to convince the electorate of his or her leadership capabilities. The process was certainly simpler when the candidates were hand-picked by corpulent septuagenarians in smoke-filled rooms.

Because the candidates are pretending hoping - to be leaders, the results have been uneven. James Earl Carter comes to mind, as does Herbert Hoover, on one end of the spectrum, with Ronald Reagan and Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the other.

In business, though, leadership tends to be conferred by the actions of followers. It is surely earned, but is not typically won. That is not to say that a certain amount of jockeying for position among board members does not go on prior to a leadership transition.

In either the political or business version of leadership, a couple of factors are unique. One is that leadership cannot always be taught. Giving orders can, but many people have no aptitude for genuine leadership. Another is that many, many people would rather follow than lead; that is their comfort zone.

Components Of Leadership
So, what is it that leaders have that others don?t, at least not to the same degree? Five things:

1. Communication
2. Inspiration
3. Delegation
4. Evaluation
5. Coordination

Every great leader begins by being a great communicator. But, not all communications styles and media are used equally effectively by leaders. Winston Churchill was a brilliant orator and writer, both in and out of political office, before becoming Prime Minister. Franklin Roosevelt was a master of radio communications at a time when as many Americans as possible needed reassurance, a sense of direction, and a calm, steady voice. Ronald Reagan used television, writers, and scripts better than any President before or since.

Adolf Hitler, a contemporary of Roosevelt?s, led hypnotic mass outdoor rallies to inflame a nation. Staged in Nuremberg, they were simulcast throughout Germany. Cuba’s Fidel Castro could captivate large audiences, in person, on television, or on the radio with speeches that ran on for endless hours.

But, the ability to sway masses is not the style for all leaders. Some leaders, in politics and in business, are marvelously effective in small groups, persuasively presenting policies and positions. In another variation, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a hesitant speaker with a thin voice, communicated by example, with fasting and civil disobedience. Inspiration generally follows effective communications. Similarly, lack of inspiration generally follows ineffective communications. Herbert Hoover, a bright and honest man, set a number of actions that were later judged to be correct into motion at the outset of the Great Depression. He was not a good communicator, and failed to develop any appreciable level of public confidence in his programs. Enter FDR.

Inspiration often comes from the unique vision that a leader brings to the organization. The vision gets energized and transmitted to those who follow. There is an expectation of achievement, of success. Similarly, a lack of vision gets communicated, as well, and what gets transmitted is a failure to energize. Green Bay’s Vince Lombardi said it best, Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit . . .

Jimmy Carter, another bright and honest man, won no hearts and minds with turning down the heat, wearing sweaters indoors, and speaking of malaise. But, his successor, Ronald Reagan, could make people believe in morning in America.?

Delegation is, in the traditional literature, a management must, a key to effective leadership. And, that’s generally true. But not all leaders are equally adept at all five elements of leadership. Results come ? usually - from making someone else responsible for the details of execution, from delegation. But, FDR?s first Vice President, prickly John Nance (Cactus Jack) Garner of Texas, described the job as ?not worth a bucket of warm spit.

Only, he didn’t say spit. Later FDR, neglected to let his last Vice President know that the government had been successfully working on a new toy for the military called the atomic bomb. Of course, Roosevelt was notoriously Machiavellian in assigning trusted and trusting aides tasks that ran at cross purposes, and in dissembling without hesitation if it suited his private agenda. Evaluation is the process of developing and delivering feedback.

It involves the art and science of deciding if, when, and how to change course when projects and programs are at stake. The even more delicate process of applying evaluation to people encompasses knowing when to make change, when to coach, when to develop, and when to part ways.

Coordination is the management of team activities toward the desired end. It demands ground-level teamwork for success ? and the leader should be the best team player in the group. Inevitable management of conflict (?creative tension?) comes into play. In the political arena, Abraham Lincoln, as described in Doris Kearns Goodwin?s Team of Rivals, virtually invented the practice and process of coordination of peers and competitors, amidst doubt and conflict.

There are other lists of so-called leadership qualities, but, frankly, they boil down to the ones we’ve laid out. Whomever masters these five elements, believes them, and has a vision to promote through them, won?t have to fight to become a leader. He or she will have to fight off the numbers of people who want to follow and be part of the winning team.

Why Is This Important Today?
It‘s always important. But, we’ve been going through tough times, and that affects both the political world and the workaday world of what?s going on in our companies. People need to know, at a cosmic level and as matters affect them personally, what?s going to happen ? and that they’ll be OK.

We need many things. First, honest-to-goodness problem solvers who can figure out what to do next (without first breaking into a public flop sweat). Second, a communicator who can frame what needs to be done into a vision that is coherent and understandable to Mr. and Mrs. Front Porch (and this is vital for both the national economy and the future of an individual?s department). Third, cheerleaders who will take the time to communicate, lift spirits, and project confidence. Yes, cheerleading is also part of the leadership equation. We can all play some role in making this happen, and today would be a good day to start.