News of a fallen leader elicits shock from followers. The higher the profile of the person whose reputation is tarnished, the bigger the shock. But for any leader, the news of another leader’s fall should elicit something more than and different from simply shock. While smugness is sometimes the emotional response, it is not what anyone should feel. A more rational reaction is “there but for the grace of God goes me…” The case of a fallen leader should be a reminder or wake-up call to keep our own houses in order. It should be a red flag to remind us how lapses in judgment or slips in one’s character are always a bad thing but are particularly devastating to a leader.
I’m not talking about a leader who leaves or who is removed for the inability to produce results (the most common reason for failure among high level executives). I’m talking about a moral failure that we too often, it seems, read about on the front page. It is worse still when the leader is caught doing something he or she is publicly against. My friend and colleague Frank Bucarro says that values are what we believe but that ethics are what we do. This incongruity between espoused beliefs and lived behaviors destroy the confidence of followers by its hypocrisy.
With the many examples of leadership failure that confront us, it is prudent to periodically take a moral inventory of one’s life. How can a leader do this?
Contemplate. Consider what needs to change. Thomas Carlyle said, “The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.”
None of us is perfect, but some imperfections are more serious than others. Are there any areas of your life that would be devastating to your credibility and reputation if exposed? These are the areas that need your honest consideration.
This process of honest evaluation can be very difficult. One definition of denial, playing loosely with the acronym, is “don’t even know I’m lying.” To avoid the pain of dealing with a problem, people can develop elaborate rationalization techniques. It takes the highest form of intellectual honesty and integrity to examine oneself for faults.
Confront those problems you find. While a leader might find a serious problem that needs attention, even little problems shouldn’t be ignored. After all, little acorns grow into big oaks. It is easy to deal with a small problem than an ingrained habit that grows from it.
Looking at one’s dark side is never pleasant. We are all capable of extraordinarily great behavior and, in moments of weakness, awful behavior. A childhood story tells about two dogs continually fighting, the good dog and the bad dog that represent our noble side and our base side. The moral of the story: we must continually feed the good dog and starve the bad dog unless we want to bad dog to become victorious.
Confide in someone for support and accountability if appropriate. I think the biggest derailer of leaders today (and I have no research; this is my gut) is that to even mention a problem it to risk being found out. Leaders think they can handle a potential problem by themselves in secret, and the problem grows beyond their ability to deal with.
The key is to pick the right person to confide in, and that is someone you place utmost confidence in. Confidentiality is critical. To even admit struggling with a moral problem is to risk having someone repeat that you do have a problem and the next person to proclaim your problem monumental.
Here’s the catch: some leaders have no one in their lives they can trust at this level of risk. That’s why developing ongoing and meaningful relationships is critical for long-term leadership success. The higher one climbs, the harder it is to initiate and develop these trusted advisors.
Seek professional counsel. If necessary, you may want to deal with a professional who is skilled in whatever area threatens you. Assessing the need for professional help is not my expertise, but a good counselor will usually spend a session evaluating if you do indeed need his or her services, and explain how he or she can help. The money spent on professional help is a small price to pay to avoid moral collapse.
Correct immediately. This is easy to write, but far harder to do. Change can begin in an instant, and while it may not permanently stick, I believe it better to change and change again rather than putting off the hard work of beginning the process of change.
By accepting the responsibility of leadership, I believe leaders agree to play by a higher standard, knowing that they will be held to a higher standard. That’s why “big L” leadership isn’t for everyone. Periodic acts of leadership are within everyone’s ability, but ongoing leadership of people and organizations is a serious charge done in public, and as such, scrutinized by the public.
The harsh reality is that either a leader holds him- or herself accountable, or given enough time, someone else will. Use an honest but rigorous process for keeping your heart and life right, and avoiding a terrible fall from leadership.
Hi Mark: I greatly appreciate your article and all the effort and experience that you bring to this topic. My reading of your article indicates to me that your main audience are those who are of the Christian faith. Although, from a pragmatic perspective, its applicability applies to unbelievers. Therefore, my comments are more directed to those that are of the Christian faith, but also of value to those not of the Christian faith.
When it comes to the development of someone who proclaims they are Christian, Scripture identifies the ethics or integrity that is associated with that distinction. Essentially, it is identified as “maturity” in the faith. Theologically, this is designated “sanctification” and described as a process of holiness, or becoming holy. The implication is obedience to the Word of God and submission to the reign of the Holy Spirit in your life. In other words, it is these that define your worldview and inform your “conscience”. Scripture does not indicate that we follow our values or feelings. It continually admonishes us to know, understand, trust, fear, and walk in the way of the Lord. It calls us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and its influence on our conscience and to “self-examine” our lives in the light of Scripture in contrast to the world’s worldview and our own sin nature. Defaulting or submitting to “values” as a criteria of conduct versus virtues or God’s moral laws is actually idolatry. It is this challenge that Christians are called to be sensitive too since it is essentially what led to the Fall, Gen 3:5, where man’s heart desired to be “as God” declaring what is good and what is evil or what is righteous or unrighteous. Paul talks about renewing our mind and mortifying our flesh or fleshly desires and he even contrasts those who are enemies of the church that have their heart’s desire tied to “earthly things” as being earthly-minded versus having heavenly conversations or heavenly minded. In other words, are your treasures in heaven.
When it comes to the Christian life, leadership is not a role or corporate designation. It is a distinction that implies that you are following the leadership of Christ. So, when you fail in the public arena as a Christian you tarnish the image of Christ to the public. The consequences are both physical and spiritual. As a leader in a secular role or a nonsecular role, those consequences have a greater significance because of their reach and influence on others. So, what is the solution to this. To own the fact that this is spiritual warfare per Eph 6 and that God’s word talks about what is needed: holiness, a deep spiritual connection to the Lord, living in reverential fear and complete submission to the Lord, walking with the Lord continually, and self-examining yourself frequently. In essence, the issue becomes how to live a practical Christian life that is biblical?
I have found (and recommended to others who have also found) that in addition to Scripture the best Christian resources are the books written by or about the Puritans or about Puritan theology. The Puritan’s were master pastors, ministers, and practical theologians. These were men whose quest was a life of holiness to God and they were deeply concerned about the issues I mentioned above. Here are some resources that you and your readers may wish to consider and get a taste of what I am talking about. Pastor Tim Keller has written and excellent article (20+ pages) on Puritan Resources for Biblical Counseling. The term the Puritans use is “casuistry” and it deals with how to become holy via utilizing Scripture to self examine yourself. Here is a link to that article, http://www.ccef.org/puritan-resources-biblical-counseling. In addition, I suggest reading J.I Packer’s “A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision Of The Christian Life” book, along with Dr. Joel Beeke’s and Dr. Mark Jones’ “A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life” book, and Herbert Schlossberg’s “Idols for Destruction: The Conflict of Christian Faith and American Culture” book. The reason I recommend the last book is because the most significant sin and theme in Scripture is idolatry, and most people are not spiritually aware of its influence in their lives and it shapes their worldview. The “values” ideology is an example tied to idolatry.
When we consider the founding of our country and how great our founding documents are as is our country, we tend to forget their theological foundation and what drove its founding and who drove its founding. Our founding was driven by and directly influenced by Puritan theology. In fact I would contend that the Declaration and the Constitution are structured like a biblical covenant where the Constitution identifies the covenant “stipulations” that enable “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
So, studying the Puritans is of double worth to the American Christian since the Puritans share in our faith heritage and in our country’s heritage. They articulate the worldview that God of the Bible is the Sovereign Creator and that Jesus Christ, who is His Son, died on the Cross for us so that God may be our God and We may be His people. That is the reflection we as a nation and a people are to live and convey to the world in our conduct by walking in a manner that glorifies Him.
Mark, I really enjoyed this article. Thank you!