I’ve written before about power, authority, and leadership. The blog Power Is Not Leadership is particularly relevant.
Another previous blog post discusses the challenge and difficulty of Speaking Truth to Power. Simon Sinek has excellent advice when he says, “The most important thing you will ever do as a leader is tell the truth. It’s also the easiest. Just tell the truth.”
When Power Doesn’t Listen
All leaders answer to someone. Regardless of how many people you lead, you answer to someone. So you have multiple opportunities to speak truth to power. However, I heard an interesting question posed the other day:
What Do You Do When Power Doesn’t Listen?
I still firmly believe that the most difficult challenge any leader faces is speaking truth to power. And when that power is not a real leader, but a cowardly leader, it is magnified exponentially. A true, courageous leader wants to hear from his or her subordinates. They know that the expertise in the organization comes from those who have been there, who have the experience and background, and who are the technical experts. These true leaders know that the more information they garner from their direct reports, the better decisions they themselves will make.
Cowardly Leaders, on the other hand, typically do one of the following:
- They do not ask for input and advice, as they already know everything there is to know; or
- They make a show of asking for input and advice-in a public setting- in order to show the citizens how inclusive they are. Yet they already have their decision and their mind is made up.
Accountability
Cowardly Leaders look for opportunities to blame their direct reports whenever something goes bad. These are the same direct reports whose advice was ignored-or never solicited in the first place. Accountability always lies with someone else.
As citizens, and voters, and leaders, it is up to us to ask those hard questions of cowardly leaders. You’re in charge, why are things this bad? You are the so-called leader, why are you so intent on making so many personnel changes- can you not supervise people? You have the authority- the power- that means you are accountable.
Until we as leaders hold those in power who will not listen, we will continue to witness, experience, and suffer, from cowardly leaders.
II-46
