Serendipity on Leadership

It's interesting how serendipity tends to work. Last night I started to read the next book on my reading list: The Power of Four: Leadership Lessons of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III. According to the book's jacket,

The best-selling author of The Lakota Way retells the great chief's story to reveal the four principles that made Crazy Horse a dynamic and compassionate leader, not only in battle but in life -- lessons that all of us can use, whether we lead or follow.

Upon awakening this morning, I checked my email and found this:

It is an irony of nature that those who seek positions of leadership are often the least qualified. The sage is content to serve others, following behind them without recognition.

~ Today's Daily Quote from Advice from Lao Fzu ~

Consequently, with these two resources complimenting each other, I've spent a bit of time this day pondering the concept of leadership.

I've realized how ass backwards we utilize this concept in our so-called modern western democracies. Our leaders, by and large, are self-anointed. They decide to enter politics and then spend inordinate amounts of money, energy and time trying to convince others both that a) He or she possesses the intrinsic qualities needed to be an effective leader and b) Their qualities are better or not as bad as their opponents.

In pre-reservation Lakota society -- this equally is true in many other so-called primitive cultures -- people became leaders by being pushed up through the ranks by others. The individual's experience and wisdom led to thoughts and actions that benefited the community and, in time, people came to trust the judgment of said individuals. In other words, leaders were CREATED by people willing to follow them.

However, unlike elected leaders -- those whose positions are defined and protected by codified laws and regulations -- chosen leaders serve for an undetermined amount of time. Chosen leaders maintain their mantel of leadership so long as they continue to serve the needs of the community. When they turned away from this ideal, as Marshall points out,

...the Lakota people of the northen plains had the best deterrent to bad leaders: They simply stopped following them. As long as a leader was effective, people followed. If he abused the faith and trust placed in him, the people could turn away from him and there was nothing to be done.

Some may argue that we have a similar system erected in that "leaders" who are no longer effective can be voted out of office. I might agree with this point IF the nature of modern politics dealt with substance over fluff. But we all know politics is about nothing more than spin than anything else. A nation could be going to hell in a hand basket -- hmm, sort of like the US -- but all one has to do is spin it just the right way and the people will keep electing the same doofuses over and over again!

Even IF we grant the argument that the public can jettison ineffective leaders, this still doesn't deal with the underlying problem that the vast majority of these so-called leaders are created artificially. They aren't created organically from within society; they thrust themselves to the top of the ladder.

Many of these potential wannabe leaders claim that they want to lead because they believe in public service. My general reaction to such pronouncements is to wish the person would shut up and go serve the public...anonymously. Decide what societal ill he or she wishes to address and then to go out and roll up their sleeves.

Unfortunately, more often than not, the public service rationale is utilized not as an end unto itself, but as a MEANS to an altogether different end. Public service is used as a prop to get what they really want: power! It's window dressing, not a conviction.

In far too many cases, this is how the "leadership" candidate's gambit of public service plays out.

First, you will call a press conference to announce you will selflessly (a bit of a contradiction, don't ya think?) give of yourself to the public.

Second, you will alert the print and video media of the time and place you will avail yourself to the needs of the public.

Third, you will meet with your advisers to pick out what you will wear and what catch phrases you shall utter..."off the top of your head."

Fourth, you won't move a muscle until the cameras are all set up at the proper angles and the print journalists have their tape recorders or pens ready to record your "selfless" acts.

Finally, after the media has sufficient footage, photos or quotes, the whole operation will be shutdown and you can now go back to your typical routine.

Public service in the limelight is a charade. It's a dog and pony show.

The kind of people who participate in these farces should immediately be disqualified from being a leader...of the free world or a Girl Scout troop!!!