Power...and the Aura of Power

Albertans woke up today to see the latest in what has become the ongoing saga of the demise of our former Premier - "Rules broken, money misspent...Aura of power...Premier used public assets (aircraft) for personal and partisan purposes...Other areas of government were wary of challenging decisions made in the premier's office...".  The latest issue is now being handed over to the RCMP to assess whether  criminal charges are warranted.  As was to be expected, the governing party is taking all steps it can to portray the issues as the actions of an individual while the opposition parties are doing all they can to paint this as simply the most visible sign of a culture of entitlement of a party too long in power and accustomed to doing as it pleases.

Politics is certainly a dirty game and I don't operate under any illusions about the altruistic motives of any of the parties involved in this current (or ongoing) scandal.  Opposition parties sense that their time to make hay is now but I've become highly skeptical and jaded as to whether any politician is better than the next.  Similarly we see political colleagues of the former Premier doing all they can to express outrage at the abuses of political office and public resources.  This kind of retrospective courage seems to me to at best insincere and delusional.  At worst it is self-serving.

I wish that this might be the end of the story but I'm not convinced of that.  Prior to this scenario playing out we had previously seen stories out of the public sector relating to dubious expense claims, large and questionable severance packages or golden parachutes, and other abuses of power.  I believe that there is more to come and more to be uncovered.  The full reality of what exists will not come easily especially in light of how previous leaders have already fared in the court of public opinion.

The reality of leaders who abuse their power - even at the risk of public exposure or worse - continues to exist primarily because some leaders do feel entitled, all powerful and above reproach.  In some cases they may even believe that they are doing nothing wrong, that anything that benefits them somehow benefits all, and even if there are abuses they will never be discovered.  They operate with immeasurable confidence in their own superiority and are not reluctant to use fear and intimidation as weapons to build, sustain and grow their personal position.

More troubling though is that WE allow and facilitate this type of leadership.  Our former Premier and other leaders who have been turned out of the public service for similar alleged transgressions did not accomplish all they did on their own.  And make no mistake, this kind of leadership behavior is not isolated to the public sector.  Leaders - both good and bad - work with and through others.  Salaries ultimately have to be approved by someone, airplane manifests processed by others, expense claims submitted and managed, and so on.  Many of us might try to find some solace or comfort to say that WE were intimidated by our leader, that we feared for our jobs or careers, or that "we were just following orders".  Some of us may have even developed a misplaced sense of loyalty and confused that what was good for the leader was similarly good for the organization.

Worse is that we may have been co-opted by a flawed or narcissistic leader.  For those serving a political master they may have seen their political future tied to the rising star of another.  Maybe they hoped to gain a new or more prominent cabinet posting.  Others see loyalty as key to their leadership aspirations down the road.  And sometimes they believe that it is best to protect their leader for the sake of their party's standing and reputation.  Parallels in our own organizations certainly exist.  Our job satisfaction, salary, bonuses, enhanced benefits, and other perks can be used to build a sense of commitment to a flawed path.  WE are a multimillion or multibillion dollar organization.  There is great pressure and responsibility that comes to me as a leader.  What's wrong with a few extra hundred, thousand - or hundreds of thousands - dollars coming my way?

This doesn't happen overnight.  Rather it very much mirrors the iconic story of a frog slowly being boiled to death.  Slowly but surely we compromise our values and high ideals because no one step or decision seems critical or egregious enough to cause us to stand up for what we say we believe in.  One day we just wake up and know that we are well past the line we vowed never to cross - or maybe we now find ourselves having to deal with uncomfortable stories on the front page of our local newspapers.  Whether as governing boards, as peers, or colleagues there are ample opportunities for us to exercise oversight, fulfill assigned duties, ask questions, or find the courage to say no.

WE often don't lack for proper policies, procedures, processes and protocols to hold ourselves to high ethical, professional and organizational standards.  More often WE lack the courage to use those tools and to hold to our values.  More often WE are not prepared to pay the price or endure the pain that comes from exercising that courage.

I recently finished reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (author - Eric Metaxas).  It details the life of this German pastor, theologian, and author with a particular focus on his struggle against Hitler and Nazi Germany.  This is not a simple tale of right and wrong as it could easily have been turned into.  Bonhoeffer's struggles in finding his path are well documented by the author, and in the words of Bonhoeffer himself, as he determined what was right versus what was perceived as correct and loyal behavior for a German leading up to and through World War II.  He often fought with and was reviled by his peers.  He progressively lost his ability to practice as a pastor, to teach and to write.  Regardless he held true to his values and exercised choice in how he would live and lead.  His choice to not compromise his belief as to what was right for Germany and the Christian community ultimately resulted in his execution mere days before the end of World War II.

I'm not suggesting WE have to die for what we believe in.  What I am suggesting is that WE have far less at stake in holding ourselves and our leaders accountable than a Bonhoeffer, that WE have far more choice to do so than WE would like to believe, and WE have opportunity - and examples to guide us - in finding the courage to enforce a standard of leadership that WE deserve.

Be clear on your values, exercise your leadership, and make a difference because of it.
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
Executive Coach/Consultant
BreakPoint Solutions
gregh@breakpoint.solutions
780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.