Drinking the Kool-Aid

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs - as identified by police agencies- like to call their weekly meetings "church". For the uninitiated ( which I hope most of my LinkedIn colleagues are !) Outlaw bikers, by their own admission, are different than other "bikers" who enjoy a lifestyle and look of motorcycling enthusiasts but choose to abide - more or less - by what society would determine to be good and just laws. Outlaw Bikers are known as 1%'ers and the term was reported to have come from an American Motorcycle Association spokesperson commenting on a riot in the late 1940's. " 99% of our members are law abiding and peaceful citizens" - Folklore would have it that a prominent Hells Angel responded " we are the 1% who refuse to abide by societies rules." The 1%'er moniker stuck and most outlaw clubs wear a 1% patch on their vests or jackets. 

When I was transferred to the " Outlaw Motorcycle Gang " portfolio on an Integrated Intelligence Unit - I embarked on a steep learning curve. I had investigated Hells Angels before and years earlier I had even bought cocaine off a dealer performing as a " middle-man" between a HA in Nanaimo. (Side story here - she was actually a 68 year old middle-woman who was the bouncer at a notorious biker bar in Nanaimo - we affectionately dubbed " Queen of the Queens" another story for another time perhaps.) However, I did not know a lot about their culture. 

In the late 90's as I investigated, listened to hours upon hours of wiretap discussion, worked with and handled a " civilian agent" who had infiltrated and gathered evidence on one of the Edmonton Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, I was able to form an intimate understanding of the culture. 

Back to church. I mean biker meeting church, or , perhaps not. Church - as most of us understand the term, to its strongly opinionated critics - is a place of myth, propaganda, repetition of mantras, fantastical world-views and guilt infused influence. A place where the naive, fearful, or vulnerable can be manipulated. Alternatively, to many of its members it can be a place of hope, community, forgiveness, and love.  

In either circumstance - biker church or traditional church - there is clearly a cultural norm. Having a relatively intimate understanding of both types of churches, I am struck by an organizational similarity. There is a requirement to accept and affirm a specific worldview or belief system in order to belong. 

I recently interacted with an acquaintance on a politically charged Facebook post where he stated boldly " you are drinking the Kool-Aid! " about a particular observation I had made about a recent political decision. The origins of this term has another interesting -and very dark -history. The Jonestown mass suicide in the late 1970's,  under the leadership of cult leader and mad man Jim Jones, resulted in over 900 people dying after drinking a fruit punch laced with cyanide. " Drinking the Kool-Aid " has become a figure of speech commonly used in North America that refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief and acceptance of a philosophy, worldview, ideology, or opinion, without critical examination.

" We are all drinking some sort of kool-aid" I responded, "you seem critical of me because the flavour I choose to drink is different than yours." Facebook crickets were followed by a bible quote designed to emphasize the final word and end of discussion on the topic. 

In terms of accepting a philosophy of life, the Hells Angels drink their unique flavour of Kool-Aid , and those wishing to join can drink it as well, or leave - if they are able.

Now what does this have to do with leadership, you may be asking? Well, some Hells Angels chapters have very strong leadership. Relative to their mission they have been quite successful. Many charismatic Hells Angels leaders are excellent entrepreneurs and have made their millions. Clearly there are some leadership principles at play here.  

Jim Jones of Jonestown infamy was also a successful leader. People followed him did they not? He was successful in his mission, and his followers affirmed that success, as diabolical and distorted as it was. 

I won't get into the particular flavour of Kool-Aid the Hells Angels or other Outlaw Motorcycle gangs happen to be serving up. Suffice to say the flavour does not align with the values and worldview that I hold personally, nor do they align with acceptable leadership philosophies of just, fair and ethical societies, institutions and organizations. 

However, here are some leadership lessons I learned from studying and investigating outlaw motorcycle gangs. 

All teams have unique cultures and are drinking some flavour of Kool-Aid

Having worked on many different teams, organizations and environments in my 37 + years in the full time working world, I can reflect back on the many different workplace cultures I have experienced as both follower ( or reluctant subordinate ) and leader. Some of these teams were very high performing, others toxic and negative. Some cultivated lifelong friendships, and others, sadly, lifelong antipathies. Some teams were places of trust and respect, others were environments of hostility and back stabbing. Some teams I have been on or led have been filled with trailblazers, innovators and passionate participants. Other teams have looked like a scene out of the walking dead. A recent Forbes article coined the phrase " Zombies at Work" illustrating the phenomenon of dis-engagement and apathy. 

We can ask ourselves, what flavour of Kool-Aid are these teams drinking and do they even know they are drinking it? 

I am convinced that the majority of our employees, sharing similar values, wish to participate in meaningful work within a mission that contributes to the greater good of our society. How , then, can some of these negative workplace cultures possibly exist ? 

The Leader makes the Kool-Aid 

Having led and managed small, highly specialized teams and larger more generalized teams for many years, I have learned that the role of leader can have tremendous effect on both culture and the people within. I have seen otherwise bright and seemingly successful leaders think nothing of engaging in mean spirited gossip and other destructive behaviour.  In my less mature years I was likely right there with them, trying to fit in and elevate my own status with the leaders in question.

Whether consciously or sub-consciously we, as leaders, are sending a message to our teams on a daily basis as to what kind of culture we expect and will cultivate. A leader's values will be obvious to his or her team. In the words we choose, the attitude we bring, the decisions we make, the work ethic we model, and the care we do or do not show to our team - we are forming a culture, positive or negative. 

We are also asking our teams to trust us enough to follow us in the development and creation of that culture. If drinking the Kool-Aid is synonymous with blindly and uncritically accepting a leadership style, ideology, or worldview, the wise leader will ask themselves, is that what I really want? Do I want a team of subordinate "yes" men and women who are too fearful or manipulated to respectfully and critically question my decisions, philosophies and desired culture? Or, do we encourage critical thinking and ask that they consider, study and wrestle with all options, and then make a choice as to what type of culture they believe will be high performing and soul enriching. 

I have worked for some excellent and noble leaders, and I have worked for small and mean managers. Small and mean managers attract and gain loyalty from small and mean people, in turn developing a small and mean culture. Great and noble leaders, alternatively, inspire something better and greater and develop high performing and healthy teams, and a lasting legacy. 

The empowered team member chooses what to drink

If a leader is modelling, encouraging, coaching, teaching, and fostering a culture that values mutual respect and accountability, critical thinking, empowered and evidence based decision making, increased emotional intelligence, doing the right thing, excellence in service delivery and the cultivation of positive relationships - it does not mean all will follow.

These values may be foreign to some team members. They may be dismissed as " Fluffy Bullocks " by those with a more cynical bent. They may be undermined, ridiculed, eye-rolled, or resisted through passive aggressive behaviour. The leader may be the target of lying gossip, dismissive indifference, and political sabotage by employees or colleagues who are unwilling or unable to flourish in that type of environment.

Sadly some people in our society and, yes, our workplaces, have become so used to drinking the stinky, sour Kool-aid that breeds negativity, selfish ambition, mean gossip, cynicism, hostility, misplaced anger, and ridicule of others - the offering of a refreshing and sweet tasting alternative is too foreign to their palates, and they will reject it. But offer it we must. 

As a colleague, friend, inspiring leader and kindred spirit recently said to me, as we were discussing our leadership journey, " there will come a time when our team will choose to drink the Kool-Aid, or not." I would add, if some people on our teams choose not, and it is a good and right flavour, then it is their choice to go and find their favourite Kool-Aid elsewhere. 

Let's make the best Kool-Aid. Let's lead well.