By Eric Wamanji
Ah! So, Boris Johnson is out? Wow! Intriguing. Power, indeed, is transient.
And boozy Boris’s dramatic fall makes for the age-old question: Why do leaders fail?
See, rising to tops is no mean enterprise. Yet, when such a golden chance- whether on merit, fortune, or chicanery- pops up, oftentimes, folks flop. Why?
Johnson is just the recent of this litany of flops. From presidents to CEOs, history is rich of case studies. Think of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the USA, and his Watergate. And I bet you heard of King Louis XVI guillotined at the climax of the French Revolution. The recent spectacular corporate stumble is that of Carlos Ghosn of Nissan- once a magnate now a fugitive.
Even with all these cases, it perplexes why those who rise to the throne hardly learn lessons from their forerunners. Their visions blinded and their minds clouded by greed, ego, myopia, naivety, or vanity.
Leaders fail for lack of vision. Without vision, the ship gets cyclic, runs out of fuel and sink. Yet, most leaders don’t know where they want to go. Due to their myopia, they fail to enchant their followers, they begrudge instead, and treat pedigree advisors contemptuously. See, without vision, the good book says, people perish.
Subjects look for hope and confidence in a leader. The moment that vacillates, so are their faiths and their support. Leadership that fumbles or mumbles, stumbles.
Then, ego is the enemy. Those drunk with power, make irrational, costly decisions. Pride, teaches C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, “is the complete anti-God state of the mind.” Thus, hubris, itself a psychological flaw, easily ushers the leader to nadir.
Great leaders fail for want of communicative prowess. Communication is a key driver of business. Smart leaders use communication to stir innovation and to rally folks towards a course. Think of Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill, even Cicero- they all excelled because they mastered the art of communication. A chap called Boje captured the reality of narratives (communication) well: “Stories are the blood vessels through which change pulsates in the heart of organizational life.” Has your organization invested optimally in communication? If not expect trouble and underperformance.
Leaders fail for surrounding themselves with charlatans. Ooh! Give me the roll call of the king’s courtiers, and I’ll predict his legacy. A leader, who entertains mediocre courtiers, is stuck in fear, toxicity or hate. Sycophants are masseurs of the ego but hazardous.
Counselled Nicolo Machiavelli: “A good ruler will invariably choose competent companions who offer honest advice in response to specific questions and carry out the business of the state without regard for their private interests… Ineffective leaders, on the other hand, surround themselves with flatterers whose unwillingness to provide competent advice is a mark of their princes’ inadequacy.”
Since flatterers brook no love for competence, a naïve, egocentric leader, falls into the trap of perpetual scheming and petty feuds. Meanwhile, useful folks in the realm switch off or take flight. Before long, the empire crumbles.
Why do you think leaders flop? Share your take. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter @manjis