Leadership….NOT

I am amazed every day as to how few role models we have of good and strong leadership in our communities, our workplaces and our churches.  You would think that with all of the organizations with a clear mission that there would be people of vision stepping up to lead.  Yet, it is the exception rather than the rule when someone who can lead is in a position of leadership.  It is a highlight for me when I meet someone like this and that is not to say that I am the final arbiter of what a good leader looks like, sounds like or acts like.  In reality I believe that we all know, in our “gut,” when we have met a leader even though we might not be so-called leadership experts.  Why do you think that a leader is effective?  It is because she or he can inspire and move a group of people toward an objective, whether it is a simple objective or a complex one.
Instead, what happens in most organizations is that we have things like culture, tradition, protocol and an inertia and antipathy toward change that cloud the vision of people put into leadership positions.  This is not to say that these things are bad things and do not hold an important place in the make-up of an organization.  However, when they become “institutionalized” and imbued with power to direct, when they become the primary identity of the organization they in fact become the de facto and all-powerful leadership of the organization.  The person or people in the so-called leadership positions are mere place-holders with no real power in the face of these institutionalized leadership idols (ILIs).
So, for an organization to really have effective leadership two things are most important.  First, it must constantly monitor and manage the role of these ILIs and relegate them to their proper place within the power structure of the organization.  When any one of these comes in conflict with the agreed upon and clear mission of the organization the mission wins.  You can see this more clearly operate in many for-profit organizations where the bottom-line is making money.  In these organizations, if in fact the ILIs lead then the organization quickly begins to lose money or it loses good people first and then it loses money.  It is in not-for-profit organizations where the bottom-line is less clear and somewhat more complex that ILIs more readily take their toll in institutional ineffectiveness and waste.
Second, it is so important to choose the right person to lead.  This is true at every level of the organization.  I have seen this first hand where a person is chosen not because he or she is the person with the ability to lead but because he or she will bow effectively to the ILIs of the organization.  In turn this person replicates his own DNA by hiring people who will also support this model and the decisions that flow out of this dysfunctional or “idol” leadership model only serve to promote organizational ineffectiveness and waste.
So, what is an organization to do to prevent this from happening.  First, a concept that I heard a few years ago from the president of a small college would be a good beginning point.  No happy-talk!  This means that, like a person with a strong and destructive addiction, it is an important first step for the organization to face itself honestly and not believe it’s own “press.”  This is not an easy thing to do.  Happy-talk is how people and organizations pat themselves on the back and assure themselves that everything is alright when in fact the ship is sinking.  This is a bit like the orchestra on the Titanic continuing to play as the ship sank.  Nice ambiance but almost everyone eventually met their demise.
If this means that those that support the happy talk or are the primary priests serving at the ILI alter must go, then they must go.  These priests are counter-productive and dangerous to the life of the organization.  By keeping them around the organization will never allow a leader to lead.
Clarity of mission and vision are vital for an organization before they embark on this course of action to dethrone the cult of the ILI.  Without it a board of directors is rudderless and can in itself become the dysfunctional priesthood.  It is true.  It all begins at the top and trickles down.  Think about the organizations that have failed in the recent past, both for-profit and not-for-profit ones.  It begins with the inability of their boards to craft a clear vision and mission and then to monitor its implementation effectively.  It begins with a board that is more concerned about retaining power than it is about the health and effectiveness of the organization.  In turn, the executive officers operate in the same manner and on down the line.  The cost to an organization when this model is in power is huge!
Ideas and people are sacrificed at the ILI alter.  Just like the family of an alcoholic the only way to survive within the organization is to provide cover and support for those in charge.  In turn, employees and even vendors become co-dependents and their work devolves to merely maintaining the status quo of dysfunction.  The very lifeblood of the organization, bringing in fresh talent with new ideas and resources, ones that can respond to an ever changing market and business landscape, is thwarted and altered so that new hires are measured only on their ability to worship and support the status quo.
No happy talk means brutal honesty and this is not an easy task for any organization.  Clear mission and vision means hard work and challenging and removing the many ILIs that creep into organizations under the guise of well-meaning and sincere people.  Will an organization get this perfect if they implement such a plan?  Probably not, but they will provide an opportunity for good leaders to lead.  In the final analysis that will bring health and prosperity.