Being "Least Worst" Is Not Good Strategy, or Leadership

A few years ago, I was consulting for a service company. They had recently received harsh feedback from customers and lower national rankings. When the executives looked at the data, they noticed they were not the absolute worst in their industry, but close. As they discussed the data, they half-jokingly said, “if you don’t like us, try our competitor who is worse, then you will like us more. Essentially, we want to be the least worst in our industry.” Being the least worst is not a good business strategy because it is focuses on avoiding the worst rather than becoming the best.  Organizations have strategic viability not by being the least worst, but the next best.

Likewise, at times leaders try to lead by being the least worst rather than the next best. 

No where is this more clear than the current American political cycle. While there are substantive differences between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton—about economy and jobs, education, environment, health, social issues, the role of government, and national security—the campaigns are mired in being the least worst candidate.

When concerns about Trump are raised, his campaign distracts by saying that his foibles are less worse than Clinton’s. When Clinton’s flaws are highlighted, she pivots to Trump’s character flaws, again being the least worst. This vicious cycle continues and the race to characterize the other as worse creates across the broad cynicism and apathy about both candidates and politics in general. It undermines their ability to lead even after the election. It encourages divisiveness and incivility that stifles political problem solving. It looks backward to what went wrong rather than forward to what can go right.  It makes someone feel good by making others look worse.

Leaders lead by making others better. 

A simple and intuitive test of a good leader is whether one feels better or worse about oneself after spending time with the leader. A primary goal of leadership is to lift up more than to tear down, to encourage other service more than self service, and to create a new future.  

In this election cycle, with unprecedented cynicism, maybe it is time to make a personal choice to rethink leadership. Seek and support leaders who focus on what is right more than what is wrong, who envision a better future rather than bemoan the past, and who inspire ourselves and others to become better. As US citizens (and for many around the world), we have a voice in how we want to be led. We deserve and should expect our leaders to not be the least worst, but to create the next best.