It’s spring in Australia, 2021 in the middle of our 3rd wave of the COVID 19 pandemic nationally, and for the third time in a row, our political leaders have yet again failed to step into modern, 21st century leadership.
This is a classic example of what happens when leaders “try not to lose”, they work hard to hold onto their power, their jobs, becoming myopic to the outcomes that will see them stay in power and ultimately reactive in their strategy. A short term emotionally charged strategy ultimately based on fear.
From our Prime Minister to the state leaders, we have seen the “us and we” of our politicians become I and you. Finger pointing, blame, excuses and denial is running it’s own rampant virus as a “fear pandemic” runs riot through our political members’ psyches. We have our Prime Minister who has simply hand balled managing a national pandemic to the leaders of each state. Removing himself, (he thinks) from any responsibility to manage the problem from the top of the tree. Where is our national leader in all of this, where is the “top dog” who is supposed to inspire, develop, and empower his state team to manage this problem. He’s hiding. Staying as far away from having to execute the solution as possible. As a national leader he focused on the main thing that he believes that will get him re-elected and yep , hold onto his power. Money. The economy. He paid us all. Job Keepers, Seekers, Disaster Payments… all these great names that will be his re-election campaign. I can see it now, his argument to stay in power will be..”We protected the economy” , “We maintained your income” , “we showed up for the people by paying them”. He may well have funded the economy in 2020, and in part now in 2021; but where is the leadership to manage the community, society and common good for the citizens of this country? Where is the inspiring leadership to bring the state leaders together to collaborate on working together to tackle this pandemic? Nowhere. It’s every state for themselves. About as divisive as it gets.
Now look at the states. What are they doing? Mirroring the national leader. Each state leader right now, is working to look after themselves, their own state, their own back yard, their “own people” as the cost of the greater good. They are following the lead of the prime minister by leading through a tunnel vision approach on what will get them re-elected.
I live on the QLD / NSW border, on the NSW side by about 800m, (so my bias to this article is clear, however so is the inspiration for my seeking to learn from the situation). Watching the 2 state leaders work in their own interests rather than collaborate for a mutually beneficial arrangement is putting so many in a negative space. Families apart, people from Nth NSW unable to access medical facilities in QLD, tourism gone, hospitality in SE QLD gone, business operators unable to get to their stores on the Gold Coast, as divided community of about 600,000 people either side of the border with Us and Them rather than a WE. And low and behold, this divisive attitude is now seeping into parts of the community. I’ve witnessed first hand, attitudes from those NOT personally effected by this mess reminiscent of the Stanford Prison Experiment. People against People.
We have state leaders working to solve only local problems, working to “protect their own” inside their own states, their own borders and their own interests; working only on create solutions that will contribute to their re-election campaigns. For me it’s almost comical that we have state leaders who simply refuse to work together to solve a shared problem and zero leadership coming from a national level to bring them all together.
All of these leaders are coming from a place of fear, fear of losing their job, fear of losing their power… they are “trying not to lose” instead of “playing to win”
In football (soccer); there is a common understanding that 2-0 score line is a dangerous place to be for the team who is winning. As the psychology of the team often shifts from playing to win to trying not to lose. The mindset, approach and decision-making changes to a defensive, reactive approach that can effect the outcome dramatically and change the course of the result. Often getting run over by the other side who all of a sudden have nothing to lose and play exclusively to win at all costs.
The same thing is happening here… our leaders are trying not to lose, they are insular and reactive in their approach which is being directed by fear and panic.
So what is a better way… well, perhaps we can look to how we would approach dysfunctional, myopic teams/departments in business as an improved pathway to high performing, collaborative teams with inspired leadership.
All of it relies really in communication. Functional, collaborative communication leads to teamwork.
What is the leader’s job? For me, a leader has 3 things to achieve. Empower, Engage and Enable their teams.
When working with a business owner who has myopic and dysfunctional teams all running their own agendas , my goal is to bring them together, under their leader, working towards a shared purpose together with a collaborative approach to success. The first thing I tell the boss is that he/she works for the team. Not the other way around. You turn up for your team, give them the tools, resources, and culture and confidence to win, and you’re 95% of the way there.
Empowering and Engaging, a team of leaders comes from shared purpose. An agreed outcome that is relevant and aligned with each department. Our goal as a coach to empower leaders is to bring them together under a shared purpose, to work together, to look at what can they contribute to other departments and what do they need from them. Give them permission to algin their department outcomes with the business outcomes. To build shared equity in the outcome for the whole operation. There is empowerment in asking your leaders to put their own agenda aside to look at how can they create solutions and pathways to success by working WITH their colleagues? And making them feel safe to do so.
Where is this meeting with the state leaders and the prime minister? Where is the empowerment of the state leaders to work together on this solution? Where is the collaboration? Where is the alignment to the national purpose? Where are YOU Mr Morrison??
What are our leaders doing to Enable the states to work together? Why are they not solving each challenge together rather than arguing over who is going to pay for it? The context of leadership is so far lost in this pandemic. With no state or federal leader willing to step off the precipice of isolation and self-protection.
Someone needs to step up, grab this pandemic and the challenges it’s creating and solve them with real leadership. Leadership that brings state leaders together, that brings resources together, that brings people together. Someone needs to step up and take the risk of doing what’s right for everyone rather than what’s right for them. This is where real leaders are forged. This is where we find people we will follow… this is where true legacy and impact is created.
So Mr Morrison, and all of your state leaders in this amazing country… IF you want to be a leader….. a REAL leader; you need to wake up and realise you work for your team.. you work for us; all of us no matter where we are or which state. You need to empower your country, your resources and your collective offices to stand up and lead with purpose, with integrity. Take yourself out of the picture, and start asking real questions about how you can help the whole nation beat this pandemic.
When I becomes WE amazing things happen… (like beating a national pandemic with state cooperation and leadership…hmmmmm)