“Leaders should never engage in self serving politics during a time of crisis.”
Unless you are “very” old, you are part of a population that has never faced this type of epidemic in this lifetime. We are in unprecedented times and the requirement of leaders to lead with integrity is essential. Regardless of your political viewpoint, left, right or down the middle, politics during a crisis situation is never favoured and should never be accepted.
“Don’t be the leader who believes his only purpose after an election is to get re-elected in the next election!”
Those who believe that leadership is easy are naive at best. Great leaders make tough and compassionate decisions all the time. Often these decisions may seem to be counter cultural because they go against the flow. It is far easier to make a decision that supports the views of that small, but very loud group who disagrees. But this is where the great leader, faces the angry crowd and makes decisions based on the correct data and not based on his own ego or popularity. If you can’t make those decisions, if the heat is too much in kitchen…get out, because you don’t belong in your leadership role!
“Great leaders never throw their underlings under the bus. They always take one on their own chin first.”
“Praise in public, criticize in private.” Great leaders lead by that mantra and are probably more skilled at the act of discipline than those who simply react by saying, “You’re fired!” An old friend once reminded me that, “When you point your finger at someone, remember that you have three pointing back at you.” When you make a mistake, own it and when one who reports to you does the same, always own it in public. That is the test of true leadership. Blaming others to make yourself look better is never acceptable!
In this time of crisis, we need leaders who transcend the ordinary and assist us in getting through and getting by. Our leaders need to be honest but they also have to provide us with hope. Being political or self serving or anything that smells selfish in nature cannot be tolerated. Leaders need to be about serving the greater good and not their own good!
Those are the leaders we need!
