Let’s take a stroll back to yesteryear and re-visit some of those golden oldies- the very Greatest Hits of Cowardly Leadership- Up Close and Personal.
It’s What You Do After You Get There- IF you boil almost any job down to it’s very fundamentals, no one is really qualified for a new job the first day you walk in the door. You were probably imminently qualified for the previous job you had, but not so much this new one. Not on the first day.
The same goes for elected leaders at the local level. If you’ve never held office before, then you aren’t qualified to lead a government, especially in the beginning. We get that. So all that matters is, “It’s What You Do After You Get There.” Do you live up to your potential- do you fulfill your campaign promises?
Cowardly Leaders don’t. Genuine leaders do whatever it takes.
Power Isn’t Leadership- Elected officials are elected to office, and once elected they become golden. Unless they commit a felony, they are in for the length of their term, yet too many times they become cowardly. They fail to follow through on their campaign promises, and immediately begin to run for re-election by not making the tough, possibly unpopular choices we elected them to make.
They have authority- they have power. But power isn’t leadership. Those in positions of power, whether politically appointed or elected, who fail or refuse to make the tough decisions because they are unpopular, are practicing cowardly leadership.
Bromance Leadership- One of the most well-read posts, this discussed elected officials who become intertwined. When any elected official is perceived to be so reliant on another, or only votes the way his or her “bro” votes, it results in dilution of the democratic process.
People run for office on a platform and with campaign pledges. I vote, and I trust you vote, for people for specific reasons. Anytime an elected official becomes so connected and associated with a fellow elected official that, to the public, they are one and the same, they are practicing “Bromance Leadership.”
Delegating vs. Abdicating- Abdicating is to voluntarily renounce a position or office. Renouncing the authority you were given, particularly as an elected official, is abdication. Running for office, then handing over the power, voice, clout, and prestige of the office raises numerous questions.
Delegating is one thing, and is appropriate and necessary for a strong and successful organization and leader. The fundamental difference is that with delegation, the leader retains the authority and power. He or she continues to make the call, speak for the organization, be the person in charge. With abdication, all of that is handed off to someone else.
The post asked the question why anyone who ran for office would do that, without knowing an answer. I still don’t know.
Military Leadership for Local Governments– This is one of my favorites. I spent several years in the Navy and feel military leadership offers strong lessons that are relevant for any organization.
I discussed some of Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ Command Guidance principles he distributed while Commander of the First Marine Division. Additionally, I pointed out how those principles apply to strongly and professionally led local governments. How strong leaders pitch in. How they lead the fight. And how their most important authority is their moral authority.
These are lessons we can all use regardless of where we work. Most importantly, they are lessons we hope and expect elected leaders to embody.
We also met LT Dyke, and saw first-hand [ WATCH ] when a cowardly leader fails to do the job he is assigned to do, and that people expect him to do.
Wrapping up Side One of the Greatest Hits album is:
Vision, Parts I and II- “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” That was true in biblical times and is just as true today. Cowardly leaders practice a “I was elected, therefore I know” mentality, and it happens at all levels of government far too often. Vision, when practiced correctly, incorporates leaders and thinkers from throughout a community to develop a long-range goal that most likely will not be achieved during the term of the elected officials in office.
True leaders understand and accept that. Their priority is for the good of the community they represent and to make it better. They want input and accept ideas. Cowardly leaders already “know” what is best. If you don’t believe that, just ask them.
Side B will be coming soon…
II-24
