The Australian Leadership Paradox: What it takes to lead in the lucky country
The Australian Leadership Paradox: What it takes to lead in the lucky country
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781743430149 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Allen & Unwin Pty., Limited |
| Publication date: | 12/01/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 1 MB |
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The Australian Leadership Paradox
What It Takes to Lead in the Lucky Country
By Geoff Aigner, Liz Skelton, Ross Carnsew
Allen & Unwin
Copyright © 2013 Geoff Aigner and Liz SkeltonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-74343-014-9
CHAPTER 1
ROOM TO MOVE
The extraordinary thing is that Australia has never looked more appealing to the rest of the world ... The 2010 [federal election] campaign is the sound of a nation needlessly fracturing.
GEORGE MEGALOGANIS, QUARTERLY ESSAY 40, 2011
What's happening in Australian leadership?
What impression might an outsider arriving for the first time in Australia make of leadership if they tuned into the public discourse, media commentary and dinner table conversations? What would they make of the challenges we face and how those challenges are being met? How might they view the role of those leading versus those who are being led?
It might seem that 'bagging' those in positions of authority was some kind of national sport: one that has no boundaries — government, business and community; city or country; young or old; men and women; and black and white. They could be forgiven for thinking that Australian leadership is in a precarious state and that we face a real and urgent leadership crisis — not just politically, but also in our organisations and communities.
The complaint is not just about politicians. How many times have you been with a group of people and participated in a conversation complaining about those in power? It could be about the 'stupid' decisions they make or about an absence of leadership. If only they could just ... (insert opinion here). We can all be dinner table complainers and leadership is an easy target. And the answer? Usually a new leader — someone, somewhere, who can fix the problems we face. In an episode of Mornings on 774 ABC, Melbourne, the host Jon Faine asked, 'Since when did whingeing become a defining characteristic and an inseparable part of the over-invoked great Aussie spirit?'
At a dinner party Liz found herself joining in with the predictable complaining about the latest political issue. As she looked around the table she realised how much power everyone had. All held positions of authority and power in either the corporate, community or government sector. Yet it was difficult for individuals in the group, including her, to acknowledge their power or their part in the problem. She also observed how much energy the dynamic of complaining can generate. It started to feed itself, rising in intensity, triggering wave after wave of complaint.
This is not a uniquely Australian phenomenon nor is it necessarily a problem in itself. Cynicism, ridicule and criticism of those in positions of power is as old as humankind, whether it is happening openly or behind closed doors. Even in the most authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, people have found vent for their frustrations discreetly in trusted circles. The jokes often highlight the gap between reality as it is experienced by the public, and the ideology or propaganda coming from those in authority. These jokes, or sarcastic barbs, emerge in any organisation or community. They are a great barometer of the gap between the ideas being put forward and the sentiment of those who are supposed to implement them.
It is one of the privileges of democracy that we can complain and voice our opinions. But have we forgotten where we live? Are things really so bad for us all? Surely the 'lucky country' doesn't have such poor leadership. Or does it?
This is a question that could be asked in any developed country with a free press and functioning protections for citizens and labour. A year out from the 2012 American presidential election, a study by Pew Research found that 'negative assessments of President Obama outweighed positive by a ratio of almost 4 to 1'.
It seems that when the increasingly shorter, honeymoon period is over for a new leader, we revert to a pattern of dissatisfaction with the leader's performance. Similarly, in the same time period, the Pew research found Republican primary candidates got comparatively much more positive coverage because they were only being judged on their promises rather than the realities of what they implemented. Candidates always fare better than incumbents in perceptions of leadership.
The antipathy between followers and leaders is not a one-way street. Those in leadership roles also complain about the lack of engagement in leadership issues from ordinary people, community members or employees. This has been perpetuated and exaggerated by the 'consumerisation of followers'. In politics there are endless polls and voter research. In our communities, governments conduct numerous community 'consultations'. And in our organisations we are faced with an increasingly advanced and growing set of measurements such as 360-degree feedback tools, culture assessments and organisation engagement measures. All of these measurements and feedback mechanisms can turn employees and citizens into customers, drained of agency, especially when they participate in a process of having their voice heard yet see nothing change as a result.
Complaining and critique is inevitable. The freedom to comment on the system is a sign of a healthy democracy and an unavoidable human reaction to power. In some ways it can be an idle and satisfying pastime. The question is whether it dominates our relationship to leadership. Does it help us make progress?
The Wizard of (not just) Oz
... and you wondered if Australians were unique in thinking that they lived in the best country and were the best people in the world, and yet were governed by the worst people in the worst possible way.
The complaint and critique are signals of a fantasy about leadership that is not limited to Australia. It is a global hope, or evencollusion, about leadership. We hope that our problems will be solved by a mythical figure or that we will be that figure ourselves. We often call this figure the 'leader'. As in the story of the Wizard of Oz, there is a belief about a man in the Emerald City with powers to solve all of our problems with little work from us.
This is a fantasy that surrounds us daily. It is often accompanied by the following phrases:
• 'What we need is some leadership here.'
• 'We need someone to show leadership.'
• 'We need real leadership here!'
We want someone to be strong and take control. We want someone who can do the hard work and relieve the confusion, conflict or pain. We may find ourselves trying to fulfil that fantasy ourselves. There is nothing malicious in this fantasy. We are brought up to look to our authority figures for answers and relief when things are difficult.
We want our leaders to make change that improves things for us, not change where we may have to give up anything or do things differently. In addition, we expect our leaders to be flawless role models with all the answers, yet be vulnerable and human at the same time.
There's nothing wrong with trying to fulfil others' expectations. Parents, managers and political leaders need to fulfil their functions of providing direction, offering protection and maintaining order. These functions are crucial to maintain our daily lives. However, the fantasy fails us when there is no quick fix, when we are required to do some of the work ourselves or undergo some loss or difficulty. When our leaders inevitably fail these ideals and expectations we can be savage in cutting them down and we then revert back to complaining and critiquing.
This makes us easily seduced by new leaders. A new CEO, politician or prime minister builds our hopes up again that it will be different and better than the last time. Like looking behind the green curtain in the Wizard of Oz, we soon find that the wizard is just a normal person operating levers and speaking into a microphone. This reality is difficult to bear and it is usually easier to seek a new wizard to fulfil the fantasy than face the reality ourselves. This is a cyclical process.
Effective leadership can then seem unattainable. Our idea of leadership may be so ambitious that we can justify to ourselves that we could never do it. When we see the examples of people who have devoted their entire lives to the cause, suffered extreme hardship and sacrifice, it's no wonder that many people say it's not for them. 'I'm no Mandela or Gandhi.' We have this idea that for leadership to truly work, it requires us to be superhuman, omnipotent or, even worse, a martyr. Some of this is hard-wired. Many of the stories and fables that we grew up with extol the leader as superhuman:
He must loan himself for the benefit of society or an organisation. Great leaders who create radical changes are supposed to totally relinquish their personality and be absorbed by their role. The ultimate leaders are those who relinquished their private life in favour of society's needs.
We shouldn't be surprised then by the number of people working really hard, exercising leadership daily in their organisations, who do not dare call themselves 'leaders'. That's because the world implies an ideal no-one can ever really measure up to. The perpetuation of this fantasy around leadership provides a ready escape route out of action and responsibility.
However, there is also a noble value in the fantasy. Our yearning for progress is a very human desire. The corollary of our fantasy is our very real fear that perhaps no-one has the answer to how we make progress, and that our leaders are as flawed as us. What we might really risk losing is our fantasy about leadership.
So can Australians lead?
The elements of loyalty ... competitiveness, ambition and struggle that are not allowed precise expression in non-sporting life (although they exist in disguise) are stated precisely in sport.
Where is it okay to exercise leadership in Australia?
Where is it acceptable to own our power and take pride in achievement? To stand out?
To not require a crisis to do something different?
To take initiative and achieve?
Donald Horne, among several other commentators on Australian life, observed that sport is one domain where we can safely allow our dreams to come to life. In sport we can back ourselves, stand out from the crowd and be powerful. We can applaud others' achievements and expect a high moral standard. We expect sportspeople to fulfil their roles and achieve, and we don't tolerate poor performance, even from 'a mate'. We respect the need for authority, hierarchy and leadership at the right time.
In sport we find it easier to see beyond the complaint and get a glimpse into what we as Australians dream about. If sporting achievement is a metaphor for our dreams about leadership and power, clearly we like to stand out in the world. We like to work together and respect and accept our power. We enjoy and celebrate skill and achievement. We like to win. We are not values-neutral and in this realm that's okay.
But if we can't take this dream beyond sport, we can easily end up being spectators. In Australia there are many spectators of leadership and it doesn't look like such a great game to watch. Yet if we don't leave the stands, who will lead?
Who do we leave leadership to (when we don't leave the stands)?
In 2011, the Murdoch media empire became embroiled in a protracted scandal involving primarily the News of the World newspaper published by News International in the UK. Employees of the organisation were accused of phone and computer hacking (including police bribery) to enhance their reporting not only of politicians, the royal family and celebrities, but also of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of British soldiers killed in action, and victims of the 7/7 London bombings. The stories led to a public enquiry in Britain, FBI investigations in the United States, and a string of arrests and resignations in both News Limited and the police. The News of the World closed after 168 years of operation.
This example gives us an opportunity to examine the purpose and use of power. In particular it shows what can happen when we don't take responsibility for leading and leadership — when we spectate.
As the story began to unfold in July 2011, Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive of News Corporation, flew into London to deal with the fallout. Outside his apartment he was asked by reporters what his 'number one priority' was. He pointed to the (then) Chief Executive of News International, Rebekah Brooks, and said, 'This one.'
This is a telling moment in the use of power. It is mirrored in many other instances in Australian organisational, political and community life. What does this moment communicate to other stakeholders such as the bereaved families whose deceased loved ones' phones had been hacked by the News reporters? Or customers, shareholders and employees? With people losing jobs and shareholders facing a slide of over 10 per cent in share value, why is the wellbeing of reportedly one of the most powerful women in the UK a 'number one priority'?
Brooks subsequently 'resigned' and the non-Murdoch press, the public and newly emboldened politicians had a field day demonising Murdoch and his clan. There was gleeful and widespread railing at the nepotism and News of the World's greed and lack of ethics. The belated apology to families made by Murdoch a few weeks later was seen as nothing more than a cynical media exercise. And perhaps rightly so.
It is nonetheless wise to be cautious when we find ourselves enjoying (too much) the failings of those with power and taking pleasure in their downfall. As Greg Hutchinson, Director of the Australian Charities Fund and Goodstart Early Learning Centres, reflects:
We celebrate failures of leadership too often, whether in politics, business or essential services. By focusing on failure we undermine trust in these roles. In the process we discourage those who might responsibly exercise leadership.
There is never a shortage of flawed and seemingly ethics-free leaders and organisations in the world and Australia has had its share, too. There is an old adage, 'If you can't be a good example, at least be a terrible warning.' We have had many warnings about what it looks like when those with power don't own or take responsibility for their impact on all of society, rather than just the chosen few.
Power is an easy target upon which to project our shortcomings. Yet, we can all be selfish, nepotistic and short-sighted. All of us can think of ourselves first at the expense of others. We hope that most of the time our better selves win — sometimes this doesn't happen. In leading, it can feel like we are in a battle between what's good for us as individuals and what's good for the whole. However, this idea of a trade-off between the whole and self is flawed. Exercising leadership that is good for society invariably is good for the self. When citizens, leaders, parents, bosses or employees are taking responsibility for their power and using it carefully, all of society can benefit.
While we may have a dream and hope about leadership, that is not enough on its own. We need to start making it a reality. If we don't, we end up in the cycle of complaint that feeds itself. We stay in a place of being a passive observer as opposed to a potential participant. If we spent the same amount of energy owning our ability to influence change as we spend complaining about leadership, we might find that we already have significant room to move in Australia. As we discover in 'The Wizard of Oz':
The three decide to accompany Dorothy in hopes that the Wizard will also fulfil their desires, although they demonstrate that they already have the qualities they believe they lack.
We have room to move
Some of our room to move lies in the space and distance of our geography. One could say that the creation of modern Australia was founded on a need for space — specifically a space to send British convicts. As the overflow of jailed British prisoners spilled over into the temporary accommodation of old hulks on the Thames, Australia provided the required space. The British outsourced their problems to an area that was conveniently out of sight and mind — the other side of the planet.
This space and distance, while providing temporarily relief for a colonial power (but not the same for the local Indigenous population), was in many ways more a problem than a blessing for the early settlers. Australia was far from the motherland. It was far from what was considered civilisation and far from protection in an adverse and remote landscape. Yet, what began as a curse has in many ways become a blessing.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Australian Leadership Paradox by Geoff Aigner, Liz Skelton, Ross Carnsew. Copyright © 2013 Geoff Aigner and Liz Skelton. Excerpted by permission of Allen & Unwin.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgements,Introduction,
Part 1 Leadership in Australia — Where are we at?,
1 Room to move,
2 There's no such thing as a 'leader',
Part 2 The paradoxes of leadership and authority in Australia,
3 The water we swim in,
4 Paradox 1 Anti-authority and authority-dependent,
5 Paradox 2 Egalitarian and hierarchical,
6 Paradox 3 Relational and competitive,
7 Paradox 4 Battling adversity and living in prosperity,
Part 3 Shifting practice,
8 Leading across difference — The great Australian challenge,
9 Leading in Australia — The why before the how,
10 Power, rank and authority,
11 The leverage of role,
12 Conflict, growth and innovation,
13 Doing business with authority — The why,
14 Doing business differently — The how,
15 More than surviving,
16 A new Australian leadership story,
Endnotes,