The Office of the President of the United States of America is the most visible leadership position in the world. Period. So whether he likes it or not, President Obama receives more than his fair share of unsolicited advice on leadership.
Of course, all of this advice for the President is free, and much of it is worth exactly what he pays for it.
The other day, however, Steven Pearlstein, business columnist for the Washington Post, shared his advice for President Obama. He wrote,
Viewed in that context, the current political disarray need not be an insurmountable problem for President Obama, but rather could represent a golden opportunity to demonstrate the leadership the country needs and craves. He will not demonstrate that leadership by running around to carefully staged events in which he tells ordinary voters what he thinks they want to hear. Nor will he demonstrate it by redoubling efforts of his PR war room to respond to every attack or piece of Republican disinformation with overwhelming rhetorical force. Rather, the real challenge is whether the president can strengthen the bond of trust between himself and the American people by having the courage to tell the hard truths and make the hard decisions, irrespective of short-term political consequences and the tut-tutting of the commentariat.
I have no idea whether this is sound advice for the leader of the free world. I do think, however, that it’s great advice for those in leadership positions in organizations across our country. Let’s break it down.
“He will not demonstrate that leadership by running around to carefully staged events in which he tells ordinary voters what he thinks they want to hear.”
If you replace “voters” with “employees,” you have great advice for any manager. Getting up in front of employees at a departmental or company-wide meeting and telling them what they want to hear isn’t leadership. In fact, in most cases it does more harm than good. People aren’t stupid. They want to hear their leader tell them the truth, regardless of what it is. They may not like the message, but they will respect the person delivering it because they know that it isn’t easy to get up in front of any group and tell them things they don’t want to hear. And being open and honest with your people will help build trust, something that won’t happen if you tell them only what they want to hear. Don’t tell your employees what they want to hear — tell them what they need to hear.
“Nor will he demonstrate it by redoubling efforts of his PR war room to respond to every attack or piece of Republican disinformation with overwhelming rhetorical force.”
If you’re in a position of leadership in your organization, you’re bound to get criticized. You’ll get roasted for what you’ve done, what you haven’t done, what you’re considering doing, and even for what people think you might do. If you spend all of your time defending your actions, either real or perceived, you won’t have much time for the real task at hand of leading. Do you need to communicate? Definitely. And you need to do it well. But once the leadership in an organization has weighed the options and determined the best course of action, the plan should be communicated effectively and then implemented. Responding to every criticism or contrarian will only distract from your real job. To be a leader you need to be thick-skinned. It comes with the territory.
“Rather, the real challenge is whether the president can strengthen the bond of trust between himself and the American people by having the courage to tell the hard truths and make the hard decisions, irrespective of short-term political consequences and the tut-tutting of the commentariat.”
This goes back to point #1. Doing what is right and necessary isn’t always popular. People don’t like to see their colleagues and friends laid off, but that might be the only thing that will allow the company to survive. It’s not popular, but it’s necessary. The same can go for killing a project, freezing wages, relocating the business, and dozens of other things that leaders must do every day. What you must remember is that as a leader it’s more important to be respected than to be liked. People will respond in miracuolus ways to a leader they respect. Often the decisions you make have short-term consequences that people really won’t like. It’s only later — when the benefits of the difficult decision pay off — that they’ll appreciate your willingness to do what was right. In the meantime, things can be downright uncomfortable. Get used to it, it’s part of the job.
Whether or not President Obama can benefit from Steven Pearlstein’s advice, you can. Take to heart what he has to say about what it takes to be a leader — especially in difficult times.