Posturing, Politics, and Partisanship . . . But No Progress

I came away from last week’s health care summit scratching my head. What exactly was accomplished that moved our country one step closer to resolution of the health care debate? From what I can tell, absolutely nothing.

There was certainly plenty of posturing. Both Democrats and Republicans pretended to be interested in working with the other party to make progress on health care. There was a lot of preening with members of Congress congratulating themselves for what was in the current bills. The politics were clearly visible with some participants playing to the camera and the public more than advancing the purpose of the meeting. And partisanship was on full display as members of each party tossed out dueling statistics to prove that their party’s ideas were better and more widely accepted by the American voters.

So we have Democrats trying to recast the bills that have passed the House and the Senate in order to win back public approval. We have Republicans trying to maintain the negative public sentiment toward the bills to prevent them from becoming law. But absolutely no one in that room was working to reconcile the differences.

It made me wonder. What if we all ran our businesses the way that our country is being run? What if appearances were more important than substance? What if we staked our position and were unwilling to consider alternatives or compromise?

My guess is that we’d have the same type of gridlock they’re facing in Washington, D.C., these days. The difference is, if we ran our businesses this way, we’d go out of business. If we didn’t make decisions and move forward, our competitors would pass us by. If we didn’t consider alternative ideas and viewpoints, we’d miss out on potential opportunities that could prove to be very beneficial. If we cared more about appearances than substance, we’d be found out by our customers, and they’d stop buying. No business could survive if its people acted the way our elected officials are acting right now.

So here are four things you should be doing as a leader in your organization that our elected officials just don’t get:

1. Listen. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it all starts with listening. Not pretending to listen, but really being open and hearing what other people have to say. You might not agree with them but if you hear them out you will learn something. You will learn what their position is and why they hold it. You will learn about the way the other person thinks. You might even learn some things that will challenge your position or thinking. I don’t think our elected officials are really listening to one another.
2. Respect. Just because we don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve our respect. Treating others as valuable contributors to the process is important. I don’t think that those involved in the health care summit were really doing this, but you need to. If you treat others like they and their ideas are important, you’ll have a better chance of influencing their thinking than if you are disrespectful and condescending. Sounds like common sense, doesn’t it?
3. Discipline. It takes some amount of self-control to openly debate an issue that you’re passionate about but you must remain disciplined. As a leader, you cannot jump to conclusions before hearing the facts. You cannot respond out of emotion; instead, you must act on the facts. You cannot appear disinterested, aggravated, or angry. If you allow your emotions to dictate your actions the entire meeting will come unraveled.
4. Honesty. If you want to lead you must be honest. Honesty and integrity are important to gain the other side’s trust. If you cannot gain trust it’s very difficult to make progress. I believe that much of what took place at the health care summit was disingenuous. I believe that politicians on both sides of the issue used statistics that only told part of the story, the side they wanted heard. I believe that they told half truths in order to make a point. I believe they made claims and accusations that were not completely justified in order to get what they wanted. The problem is that if no one believes what those across the table are saying, then no progress is truly attainable. Can honesty make you vulnerable? Certainly. But it also demonstrates strength and, ultimately, is necessary for two sides to come together.

If you want to succeed in your job I suggest that instead of taking a cue from the politicians in Washington you should learn from their mistakes. True leaders, the ones who can bring people with different ideas together for a common goal, demonstrate the four traits outlined above. Are you a leader?