21 May Leadership in hard times

Who is leading, and what are they doing?

At WorldsView, we talk about leadership as a part of management, not as a separate thing. We support the Bass & Avolio idea of “Full Range Leadership” – starting with Laissez-Faire, progressing through several transactional management forms, and culminating in transformational leadership.

Laissez Faire, or “hands-off management” is the absentee manager (or leader, depending on how you label your executives), and is clearly at one end of the spectrum. At the other end is transformational leadership. This is where a leader of great character and conviction is able (without coercion or force) to positively change the behaviour of followers – through being a good person, who pays individual attention to everyone, provides meaningful motivation and deliberately draws out the best of every follower. 

Transformational leadership is most needed and appreciated in tough times. Tough times in this organisational leadership sense are when something is happening at “work” that affects the relationships, the identity, or the survival of employees.

In South Africa, for all the good that might be happening in many areas of life, we are not short of tough times.

The news is filled with stories of despair at a large poultry producer where human and animal lives have been affected by organisational issues. Every South African organisation that was being funded by the US AID programs now faces tremendous uncertainty. Every South African organisation that exports agricultural products to America faces looming uncertainty. Relationships, Identities, and financial survival are being threatened.

Many of the people affected have an external locus of control – they rely on strong family or societal leaders to guide them. Whatever we may think or feel about that, for the time being it is a reality, and this group of people will be looking around for leadership. They are in or close to despair.

Some of the people affected have a strong internal locus of control – they believe they can act with agency, and that they can change things. They usually don’t feel as though they need external leadership – they lead from within. Many of these people cannot find a way forward, despite their inner strength. In a country with over 30% unemployment, limited capital, a shrinking economy, and an already bloated public service – where are the opportunities?

If this sounds bleak, it is intentionally so – as it is an attempt to describe how real people are feeling. Not everyone, but enough to matter. One person feeling that way would be enough to matter to the right leader.

In these moments, at these times, transformational leadership matters – in families, in communities, in organisations. These are people who have great empathy and are connecting to others who may be suffering even as they recognise and manage their own insecurity. They are not hiding out – they are connecting. These people are doubling down on action – working longer and harder to try to improve things, rather than hiding out or retreating from the battlefield. And importantly, these people can manage their own emotions so that others can find some sense of calm, rather than exploding in the face of crisis. 

Today WorldsView Academy extends its heart to all who may be despairing. We have worked with some of you, and we know how hard you tried to be effective. We also salute those leaders among you who have done what they can to help you find your way back to your own agency, to hope over despair, and to action over paralysis.

For everyone who can – find and take one positive step, one positive action. It is good medicine. We will find markets outside of America if they no longer want our goods and services. We will find funds for our own social programs (diverting funds from corruption or from mismanagement). We will all try to find ways to make a plan for another meal. 

We find family with a spare bed; we find neighbours with a spare meal. We find a way because we must.

And to our national and provincial politicians we say: its time. You promised a better South Africa for all – get on with it please.