The Anatomy of a Failed Leader:
…no narrative. Our failed leaders don't have a narrative, not a real narrative about themselves, anyway. Oh, they have a “self-narrative.” Much of it is fabricated and cleverly disguised or written by someone else. But this self-narrative is isolated and doesn't connect with us, and it certainly doesn’t solve the problems we’re all facing. What’s missing is a narrative founded on actual truth and actual character and actual honor…remember those? The willingness to tell the truth about the actual terrain we’re in. The willingness to consider that terrain, select an objective, shoot an azimuth, and step off. True leadership, the kind that draws upon the consideration of the rest of us, is fading, and consequently, so is our national visibility and understanding of what’s important. As if a fog is settling in on our nation, our society is lost, waiting for someone to step up, identify which hill we're going up, set the path we're going to take, and issue an order we can all get behind.
We all admire leaders whose narratives not only touch our own but who seem stronger, wiser, and smarter than we are. The leaders we admire are our inspirational peers, even those whose opinions and decisions don't align precisely with our own. The leaders we truly admire did the work. The first ingredient in the recipe for failure is to become a leader from any process other than this. Some have reached their position by simply memorizing the PowerPoint, and it's predictable that when it's third and ten, they won't cut it.
Well, it's third and ten. To those who hold the keys right now…You may one day find yourself surrounded by people who feel as if they can do your job better than you might. Some of those people might even have a strong character built on pure intentions, but for better or worse, the crown has landed on your head. Perhaps they might do it better, but today, the job of leading is yours. Do it.
Incredibly exciting time for our work together!