The Leadership Challenge

Abraham Lincoln said: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work for various types of leaders and one question continues to come up: How do you deal with leaders who are saying the right things and doing the wrong things? And, conversely, how do you recognize those who are doing the right things yet selflessly refuse to be recognized?

In the past, I’ve worked with leaders whom I’ve thought to be brilliant and inspiring, and more so, who have integrity and character. When faced with a problem or when under stress, these leaders will encourage their employees to keep working their best; they will keep their own performance at the top of the class, and will never denigrate or offend those around them. Their stress is their problem, not something their colleagues or employees should be concerned with. These cool and collected people are usually the first to set expectations with their employees, give recognition appropriately and consistently, and be willing to mentor those around them even if it means a late night at the office. They’re the first to appreciate it when people recognize them, and are genuinely surprised when it happens.

On the flip side, I’ve worked for leaders who walk into the office with a black cloud over their heads. You never know if what you say will be met with anger or praise. You feel de-valued, de-motivated, and defunct. And unfortunately, many of these “leaders” happen to be the ones who brag about their “vision” and “leadership agenda”…they have “change strategies” and language filled with more buzz words than a marketing textbook. An example of one of these types of leaders was a CEO who bragged about his company and its “sustainability”. He once asked me for assistance to fix his printer settings and I suggested that he change his settings to double-sided printing. His response to my suggestion was: “To hell with the environment, it’s easier for me to make notes when it’s single-sided.” And here I thought that, as a leader and as a business-person, it was important to actually care about current issues that society is facing. Especially when Thursday’s Globe and Mail polls state that the most important issue that voters are concerned about is the environment. And it’s an issue leads the pack by 29% lead!

How do we address leaders who refuse to walk the talk? How can one make change if there are leaders in high-ranking positions who have habits and methods that are still stuck in the Stone Age? Is it right to encourage youth to make change if the people they’re trying to impact refuse to be flexible in their thoughts, actions, and speech?