“WIN!” or “win.”
“If a string is too tight, it breaks!
Too loose, and it won’t play.”
—Buddha
Politics Divides! Leadership Unites! But the only path to Leadership is Political.
“The fundamental challenge of rising to leadership, is that once you accumulate the skills, the speaking chops, the courage, the packaging, the reputation, the endurance and the hunger, you still need financial support and the coordinated organizational structure — and that’s Politics. So, by the time you’ve been elected, you’re so tainted by politics, all the promises and obligations that you haven’t a hope of leading all the people. So, you find yourself a ‘winner’ elected by a fragment. But still, you have to make the attempt to represent the best for all concerned — or it all comes apart.”—Anonymous Political Operative
The Dark side of Leadership is Politics. You can’t get to Leadership without a political organization behind you. And that organization has a vast subscriber base, consisting of a bewildering collection of viewpoints — from the thoughtful intellectuals with their books and theories to the wild-eyed radicals toting weapons and planning for violence. Don’t forget the silent elites with their donations and private meetings. Go ahead! Get yourself elected! Threading that needle is enough to defeat all but the most committed.
In truth, many elect to “Reign in Hell” by appealing to the dark inclinations of their base, knowing that they’ll never find support in the broader electorate. So, they instead satisfy themselves by being the elected favorite of a select band of discontents who share their particular flavor of outrage. It’s just too hard to find a bridge to the middle ground and form a genuine broad-band majority. There’s a lot of this kind of story being told across the political spectrum of late with the “Kings and Queens of Outrage” stoking the fires of their bases. It’s easy and cheap politics, and it’s easy to follow, because it doesn’t require the followers to do anything but remain upset.
“Serving in Heaven” — the loftier path, is harder. Connecting with a broad majority requires one to identify the points of agreement where one can find something in common, then stitch them together into a winning platform. The art of finding those points of agreement, then stretching everyone’s tolerance to encompass a winning majority, is an undertaking that few can carry off.
Having “Won” the election, (if you still retain a modicum of self-respect), you have the challenge of “Winning the Term” — really accomplishing some portion of what you set out to achieve.
Many however, having “Won” their election, mistake themselves for the “New Caesar,” the acclaimed Leader and Monarch of the Twelve Kingdoms. Lush with their victory, they set out to bring their vision into being; and they are almost instantly acquainted with the true limits of their power, when all those with the actual power (Law Enforcement, Unions, Civil Service, the Academy and the Heads of Local Governments) uniformly close ranks and fail to salute… It’s a sad moment for our conquering Hero when he (or she) realizes that “winning an election” simply privileges one with the opportunity to go out and shill for more support from another level of electorate.
The moral of the story:
It’s easy to confuse a “win” with a “WIN!” Because it’s an imperfect process, an arranged marriage of the Base and the Ideal. But, in the words of Churchill, “It’s the best we have.”
Applications
1. For You
If you aspire to Leadership, recognize that the Office does not really “elevate” you. It makes you the person who can give and receive a favor and give you a seat at the negotiating table. Only that. That’s a genuine “win!” Oh, and there is that “Bully Pulpit” thing. But if you misuse it to divide, your audience will shrink. Don’t get carried away with the “myth of power.” You’re the same person you ever were, with the same insecurities and limitations. But you have a small window of opportunity to focus people’s attention on what we might achieve together.
2. For the Family
Be aware of what you’re telling your family. Hating, detesting, resisting, rebelling and denouncing are becoming the words and the language of the street, but they are often transmitted first at home, then on social media. Have you noticed the deteriorating quality of discourse lately? Has it all become politics 24/7 where you live? It may be worth remembering that if we’re not teaching our kids to bring the discussion up, then we may be tacitly allowing them to bring it down. Teach Leadership, and there’s less room for Politics.
3. At Work
Politics and Universal Outrage are everywhere, while the limits of power are poorly understood and humble leadership seems to be a dying art. Get over yourself and your politics and get busy being a servant leader in the office. You’ll find people asking your opinion more often and opportunities to Lead begin to appear. Want some help, call us about Career Coaching and Vector Analysis.
The Public Sphere is pretty tightly wound… Try not to break your string or descend too deeply into politics. Loosen up a little, and ask people how you can be of help…
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