If you want to get a huge response on social media, post something complimentary—or critical—about a leader. It could be a politician, a corporate CEO, a sports coach, or a megachurch pastor. People will weigh in, and the comments will inevitably devolve into hyperbole and vulgarity. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion of leaders, and many of those views are unprintable without plenty of asterisks and exclamation points.
Not long ago, leaders of all stripes were generally accorded a level of respect. Now, very little is given. Respect today must be earned.
There are at least two ways people measure leaders: 1) Are they who they say they are? 2) Did they do what they said they would?
Most critiques I hear boil down to these main two concerns.
In an age of “reputation management” and branding, everyone seeks to portray an impressive image to those they lead. Do they care about the downtrodden? Do they empathize with the working person? The marginalized? Do they take their responsibilities seriously? Are they a faithful spouse and caring parent?
I remember years ago when a politician wept while making a speech. People were moved by his compassion for the victims he was discussing. But the next day, cameras showed the politician joking with his aids right before he gave that tearful speech. It became clear that he wanted to look like he cared, but his concern could clearly be turned on like water from a tap.
We want our pastors to be godly and to practice what they preach. We are tired of ministers who exhort their congregation to be holy but are later exposed as adulterers or pedophiles. We want politicians to focus on our best interest, not theirs. We are weary of politicians who enrich themselves while leaving their constituency impoverished. It’s possible to fake integrity for a while, but reality inevitably exposes the charade. With twenty-four-hour news cycles, people begin to feel as though they know their leaders personally. It can be devastating when leaders prove to be entirely different than the image they had carefully projected. People feel stupid for having been duped. And no one likes feeling stupid.
The other cause for frustration is when leaders don’t do what they promised. Leaders often arrive with grandiose pronouncements. A coach promises to get the perennially underperforming team back into the playoffs. A pastor says he will stop the church’s numerical decline. A politician pledges to lower crime and create jobs and prosperity. Nevertheless, several years later, things haven’t improved.
Leaders respond in various ways to their lack of positive results. Few actually admit they failed. Some argue that the problem was worse than they realized, and they need more time. Others blame their opponents, the economy, bad luck, or their enemies for why they failed to meet their objectives. Many attempt to bury their lack of results in excessive verbiage. They wax eloquently about how many meetings they held, deals they made, talks they gave, or mission statements they crafted. Yet the bottom line is that, despite their best efforts, they failed to accomplish what they were hired to do. Still others are audacious enough to argue that they have achieved what they promised, it just appears like they haven’t.
Our world is filled with leaders who demand more time to lead, even when they are not achieving their goals. Politicians who have held office for 30 years claim that, if re-elected, they will solve their constituents’ problems. Coaches claim that the team will finally turn things around the following season. Corporate CEOs receive large bonuses amid large-scale layoffs. Leaders speak vociferously about “turning a corner” and “being hopeful for the future,” while having nothing concrete to show for their efforts. Such behavior causes people to grow increasingly critical of leaders.
What can leaders do?
First, they must genuinely be who they say they are. They can’t act like someone who cares; they must truly care about the issues they are tasked with addressing. Doing so requires getting to know the people involved and asking lots of questions before making any statements. It means practicing what they preach and doing good for others, even when no one is watching. And it means living with integrity. Most people will forgive someone who makes mistakes, but they can’t abide a liar.
Second, leaders must keep their promises. Did they stop the decline in sales or attendance? Did they lead their team to a winning record? Did they make government agencies more efficient and responsive? Has the crime rate decreased? Is customer satisfaction up? Leaders are ultimately evaluated by their performance.
True leaders don’t make excuses; they make things better. They base their performance on their deeds, not their words. They refuse to blame others for their lack of production. They take responsibility. They are honest about the outcome. They are also consistent. Week after week, month after month, year by year, they steadily work at addressing the issues they were tasked to solve. And as time passes, they prove that they are, indeed, who they claim to be.
Oh, that a great host of such leaders would rise up in our day to take the helm at our schools, churches, governments, and businesses. Leadership is not society’s problem. Bad leadership is. Let us do all we can to identify, train, and support good leaders wherever we find them. Let us not tolerate those who covet the leader’s title and perks but disdain the leader’s obligations. Let’s settle for nothing less than leaders who are wholly committed to being and doing what they promise.
