Leadership is a strange thing.
While we can often see where bad leadership has caused an organization to take
downward trajectory, it is often not readily apparent the exact cause and
nature of that downward path. I would venture to say that more often than not,
if an analysis of an organization that has moved toward disarray is taken, you
will find that the root cause began long
before the actual demise was visible to those on the outside, and perhaps to
most on the inside.
Having spent time watching
organizations and their leaders take specific directions over the years, there
is a very real fact that, from my perspective, will always be true. This is
true for CEOs, Pastors, Boards and any manner of leadership.
When you evaluate those at the top
of any organization, one of the first things noticeable is that the when you
are higher in an organization’s structure, the longer it takes for the effects of
your bad decisions to be become apparent. The second thing is the impact of
those bad decisions is far greater. Finally, you will notice that the
correcting the effects of those bad decisions takes far longer, if they can be
corrected at all. In fact, some decisions at the top can be irreversible and
therefore devastating to the organization.
Let’s take an example here. Before
I do so, let me state that with the illustration I am about to use, I am asking
you not to read value judgements on the positions in question. I valued every
person’s contribution to their locale. I am simply observing cause and effect.
As I stated earlier, the higher you
are in an organization the longer it takes for the impact to be noticed, the greater
the impact and the longer it takes to correct it. If you are a custodian for a
company, a church, or any other organization, and you do not complete your
tasks, it is evident almost immediately. Clearly within just a day or so,
everyone will notice that the rubbish is not cleared, the bathrooms are not
cleaned and stocked, and the overall place is getting dirty. The effect is
visible quite easily. While this task is indeed important, it will not take the
organization down, and you can correct it in fairly short order.
This is not true if you are the
leader of the organization. In fact, I would argue that almost always in all
three comparatives the opposite is true. If a CEO or some other senior leader
makes a bad decision in hiring, or vision, or values, or structure, it probably
is readily noticed by only a few, if any at all. The effects of those
decisions, however can take an organization down and if you are in a position
to seek to correct them, it can take a tremendous amount of time, energy, and
resources. All of this is the opposite of the person lower on the organizational
chart. In fact, those bad decisions at the top can prove devastating to those
lower in the organization. The effects can potentially be even worse the lower
down the organizational chart you go. This makes the effects to be “people impacting”
on a far greater level than immediate issues at other levels in the organization.
Maybe this is partly why James
wrote, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because
you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” wrote, (James 3:1) It is not necessarily that
teachers (read leaders for the sake of this discussion) are more important, but
if you are a teacher (leader) you have a far greater influence. You words
become the words of your students. Your ideas become the ideas of those you
lead. Your methods become the methods of those who follow you. You plans become
the plans of those who follow your lead. Your mistakes become the mistakes of
those whom they impact.
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