December 18, 2010
Leadership: What Is It and How to Deal with It? [Part Two]
Section: WRITINGS | 100 reads
(25)
CORRUPT LEADERSHIP: CHORE MODEL
Or maybe,
The leadership does understand, but follows its misguided and harmful ways knowingly, deliberately, willfully, maliciously, wickedly, culpably, even criminally.
In that case, it is not just naive and stupid, but corrupt, crooked, selfish, dishonest and outright wicked, vile, criminal and evil.
Maybe it has sold out.
Maybe it is a Trojan Horse.
Maybe it is working for the enemy.
For the competition.
Whoever that enemy and that competition may be.
And in the ultimate analysis:
It is the enemy.
Or at least a dangerous tool of the enemy.
It has sacrificed the welfare and interests of its followers at the altar of its own and its masters’ and minions’ welfare, interests, whims, fancies, desires and dictates.
The primary objective of this kind of leadership is to promote itself.
And its own personal interests.
And the interests of its assorted minions, friends, mentors, masters, sycophants, parasites and hangers-on.
Rather than the interests of its followers: the group, organization, community, nation or people it purports to represent, serve and lead.
That means this type of leadership is working…
Directly or indirectly…
To achieve name, fame, wealth, status and other advantages and privileges for itself, rather than for its followers.
It is hoodwinking and double-crossing its followers.
It is cheating and robbing them.
And it is using its followers as a springboard to achieve its selfish ends.
As fodder for its greed.
It is sacrificing the interests and welfare of its followers for its own personal glory and gain.
Such leadership is unethical, criminal, traitorous and treasonous.
It has no conscience or morals.
It is short on the fundamental prerequisite of civilized living: a key concept called integrity.
And probity.
And moral rectitude, uprightness and honesty.
And a sense of accountability.
And loyalty to its roots; to its origin, mission and base; and to the very notion of common human decency.
The very motives and raison d’etre, and not merely the modus operandi, of this type of leadership are suspect.
Such corrupt and crooked and mercenary leadership is often part – and a major part – of the problem for the group, the organization, the community, the nation or the people it purports to represent, serve and lead.
Rather than being part of the solution.
In other words, things go wrong, not in spite of the presumed best efforts of this type of leadership, but precisely because of them.
Such leadership is not a bulwark against failure or tragedy.
But a gateway to them.
Such leadership facilitates failure.
Invites disaster.
Creates chaos and confusion.
Nurtures incompetence, apathy and indifference.
Deals destitution, bondage, death and destruction.
And effectively seals the fate of the group, the organization, the community, the nation or the people it purports to represent, serve and lead.
One simple test to identify this kind of dishonest, corrupt, crooked, vile, wicked and treasonous leadership is to ask if, over a period of time, the personal affairs, interests and fortunes of this leadership and its sundry minions, friends, mentors, masters, sycophants, parasites and hangers-on have gotten better.
While the affairs, interests and fortunes of the group, the organization, the community, the nation or the people it purports to represent, serve and lead have suffered and gotten correspondingly and concomitantly worse.
If this turns out to be the case – and chances are it will – one is clearly looking at a corrupt model of leadership.
Richard Nixon once proclaimed to the world: “I am not a crook!”
But many of these people are precisely that – crooks.
Once again, borrowing from the Urdu language, let us call this type of leadership the Chore Model of leadership.
In a literal sense, the word chore in Urdu means a thief. But in practical usage its scope is broader and covers all forms of corruption and deviant and less-than-honorable behavior.
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GUTLESS LEADERSHIP: DARPOKE MODEL
Or consider this other likelihood.
Maybe the leadership is neither inept nor corrupt.
It is neither ignorant, unaware, naive and stupid.
Nor is it corrupt, crooked, mercenary, treasonous, immoral, unethical and outright wicked.
On the other hand, it is merely scared, weak-kneed, soft-bellied and jelly-jointed.
It lacks courage, confidence – guts.
It lacks the courage to speak the truth.
To stand up for what is right.
To give right advice, guidance, direction and support to the followers.
To face challenges, obstacles and adversity with firmness and fortitude.
And to take responsibility for its plans and actions as well as the consequences of those plans and actions.
And it lacks the will, the nerve and the intestinal, spinal, cerebral and moral fortitude, strength and toughness to hold its head high.
To thrust its chest and chin forward.
And to lead.
And to bravely bear the pain.
And pay the price.
For the honor and privilege of leadership.
In such instances, one is dealing with a leadership that is plainly gutless, boneless, spineless.
Let us call it the Gutless Model of leadership.
Continuing with our choice of Urdu expressions, we can call it the Darpoke Model of leadership.
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