Choosing Our Leaders Wisely
By Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D.
The election campaigns have begun. From now until November, we will be bombarded with political opinions, facts, lies, attacks, “spins,” and supportive affirmations. During this time, how are we to make intelligent choices about our governmental leadership? What criteria do we use to decide? I hope what follows will assist you in clarifying your choices.
Today, many people seek leadership positions, not so much for what they can do for others or our nation, but for what the position can do for themselves: elevate their status; increase their power; expand their connections, gain personal perks; and secure financial advantages. They do their “service” as an investment in their personal future rather than serving the betterment of the nation’s populace.
Nevertheless, there are people seeking elective office that follow another model of leadership. These would-be leaders are preoccupied with serving the common good rather than being followed by others.
They would rather concern themselves with giving rather than getting, with doing rather than demanding, with acting rather than commanding. This model of leadership is called “servant leadership.”
Try to imagine how much better things would be if more politicians, educators, and business executives saw themselves as servant leaders?
When William J. Bryon, S.J. received the “Leadership Award” given by Georgetown University, he spoke the about the essence of good leadership. “The good leader takes his or her place at the center of a circle, not the top of a pyramid. The good leader is a visionary, able to project out into the future a [beneficial] goal and then serve as enabler, facilitator, and encourager on the way to achieving that goal.”
When the words and actions of those who lead reflect an understanding and consistency of the vision they have for the future, they begin to follow the servant leader model and guide their actions accordingly.
During the next few months, I hope we have the opportunity to ask our would-be leaders some of, if not all the following questions:
How do you model the vision you verbalize?
Do you always tell the truth, as you know it to be no matter whom you are speaking to?
What values guide you as a leader? Do you remain true to those values, even when they are unpopular?
How much alignment is there between the values of the people you lead and the values that guide you?
How often do you elicit feedback from those you lead?
How would you describe your response to negative feedback?
How does the feedback you receive influence your leadership?
How do you reward the successes of those you lead?
How do you promote learning from failure for those you lead?
What failures have you experienced as a leader?
What did you learn from those experiences?
How has what you’ve learned influenced your leadership?
What successes have you experienced as a leader?
What did you learn from those experiences?
How has what you’ve learned influenced your leadership?
What’s your biggest challenge as a leader?
What will you do, specifically? By when?
Will you consistently honor the wishes of the majority of your constituents and accurately represent them in your position?
Who or what resources will you access to help you become the effective leader you can be?
If you ever have the opportunity to ask these questions and you can trust the potential leader to respond to them honestly and directly, you might obtain some clarification about whom you will choose to lead our communities, our states and our nation. If you never have such an opportunity, ask yourself these same questions when thinking about the person who seeks your vote.
Dr. Thomas is a licensed psychologist, author, speaker, and life coach. He serves on the faculty of the International University of Professional Studies. He recently co-authored (with Patrick Williams) the book: “Total Life Coaching: 50+ Life Lessons, Skills and Techniques for Enhancing Your Practice…and Your Life!” (W.W. Norton 2005) It is available at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com.