A Different Approach

If you were suddenly thrust into a position of total awareness, of a new sense of intimidation and fear, while being thrust into a leadership position, and you realized you were up against something much bigger and more dangerous than you ever imagined, what would you do?

Maybe it is the leadership of a union, or a school district, or a social group, or perhaps it was even bigger like the chief executive of a major corporation, or what if you just got elected to be the President of the United States of America? 

Despite the fact that you had big plans, you were energized and felt like you had the backing of the people, you had no choice but to face the facts, and the truth that the odds were stacked against your success. You suddenly realized you had no realistic chance to accomplish your goals. You are confronted with the reality that your opportunity to lead is an illusion, if you decide to press ahead with your agenda.That the position you hold is actually more ceremonial than functional. That there are a series of other positions of power that can outweigh any effort you may make to effect change.

So you take a step back, and ask yourself a series of questions…

What happened? What could put our mothership in such a position? How did the hull collect so many barnacles? Who dropped the ball and stopped taking preventative measures to keep the ship-of-state running properly? Is it knowable? Will it help to try to figure out who the bad guys are or is it more important, at this stage, to just get to work cleaning things up? 

What if you discover there is a fire in the hole? And the mothership is literally sinking?

When firefighters get to the scene of a raging fire, does it really matter at that moment how the fire started? Actually, it is important, because If it is a broken gas pipe that is feeding the fire, it is critical to know because all the water in the world isn't going to help. You have to cut off the fuel first.

You need to stop the spread, but most importantly, you need to identify the source, find the control valve upline, and shut it down. In terms of running the operation, that means you must rally support from the team, or all will be lost.

When you are given the job to be the leader, to take control of an operation that needs some help, it means you have to act like those firemen coming to the scene of a fire. That is what you were appointed to do: Figure out what is wrong, what is right, where the problems are, what will promote the good and shut off the bad, and take action!

What if you are suddenly confronted with information that the ship is riddled with leaky gas pipes, holes in the hull, and that some of the crew has actively been hiding that information for reasons that are still not clear? You have inherited a sinking ship, a dysfunctional organization, that is actively working at cross purposes, and that you are seriously underhanded and improperly equipped to fight the raging fire?

Then what?

So you try to put your preconceptions and illusions aside for a moment, and come to the conclusion that it will take an enormous amount of discipline, of restraint and patience, to put aside your ego, your family and your lifestyle, to take on this assignment.

The first question you have to answer is is it worth it? Can you be successful? What are the implications if you refuse to try? Conversely, is walking away even an option? 

This is America! Who could possibly turn their backs on their homeland?

If it will take months, years, maybe even a decade to evolve, but if you really want to make a difference, and if you really want to affect change, to fix many of the problems that are starting to accumulate like barnacles on the hull of an old ship, you realize at the very moment, you are going to have to take a radically different approach.

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