Bad Leaders Can Be The Best Teachers!
Sometimes it’s easier to know what we DO want by looking at what we know for certain we never want to accept again.
In fact, we all learn from mistakes and not just our own.
A few must-haves
Thinking of Boris Johnson the other day, I made a lightening-quick list of qualities that for me indicate the must-haves in a good leader:
- Honesty – they uphold the truth and outlaw lying
- Integrity – they walk their talk, and work to uproot corruption
- Ethical – they operate by generally accepted principles of right and wrong
- Values – aligned with the above
- Vision – they share a vision that inspires, recognise their responsibility in making it happen and work hard to that end
- Self-discipline – they apply themselves to the hard problems, not just feel-good easy ones
- Service – they’re not self-serving, but ensure their leadership makes a positive difference serving the wider community
Boring? Obvious?
Maybe so. But recent events in the US, UK and elsewhere show us two things:
- We can’t take those qualities for granted
- What happens when they are absent.
Toxic charm
The Economist newspaper recently called Boris Johnson “toxic” and Bagehot could only say in BJ’s favour that “He has brio and charm.”
I’m happy to add brio and charm to my list above – and there are several other items that I need to add- but not at the expense of those I’ve listed already.
Has a bad leader made you a better one?
If so, do share, I’d love to know.
And…
