From Kamala Harris to Moses: What Do Different Leadership Styles Really Mean?

Dear Reader, what do you make of the recent reporting on Kamala Harris that is making headlines in the United States, and is certainly being picked up by much of the International and local ex-US Media as well?

The unvarnished, simple story is that many on her staff are resigning. It's the spin the media adds that fascinates me and turns the whole saga into a Leadership lesson. Headlines are plastered with a number of theories why members of the Vice President’s team have stepped down...

1. Basic explanation, it’s grueling work, and the attrition is natural for that type of job…They want to “sleep more.”
2. Next…the office is dysfunctional and chaotic.
3. Rats fleeing from a sinking ship as her approval ratings drop and drop.
4. They feel sidelined and neutered by Biden, causing huge tension.
5. The truth is that over her career, few advisors have followed her from job to job.
6. People feel they’re treated like “s—t” (that’s a quote).

There’s no lack of excuses floating around, and depending on the source, more defensively for or more aggressively against the Vice President.?

But, in this forum I don’t write about politics, ergo I leave the diagnosis to you. KNEE JERK ALERT—please no comments for or against her…this is not about her or her staff other than as a tale we can learn from.

As I recount this story, I am focused on Leadership and how we can apply Leadership lessons to our personal lives. And by extension, to our business ones as well given that I believe we behave as who we are in all situations…Kind people are kind…abusive people are abusive, and Leaders…well, lead.??

Much of the commentary on the above story centers around something called Leadership Style…When you read the stories, the running theme is that people don’t like the Vice President’s style of leadership…it grates on them, so they resign.

My view is that while there is Management Style (for another day), Leadership is more of an absolute…either you have it, or you don’t. And if you have it, it's an obligation and an accountable trait.?

Yet, even if you have the Leadership gene, bad management, poor planning, lack of attention to what’s going on around you, and an inability to connect with people can negate your Leadership potential and you can become irrelevant…vilified…hated...or ignored.?

And, in my book, wasted Leadership is a sin.

So, what is a struggling leader to do? You have the gene…people look up to you…they listen to your vision…they are inspired by your ideas…and then, nothing. They grumble, leave, and the atmosphere gets toxic. You double down, and Leadership morphs into some kind of entitled power trip…

WASTED!!!

Let’s get Biblical for a moment, back to original sources. Exodus Chapter 18 verse 13-27.? Seriously!! Read it.

Moses is arguably one of the greatest leaders of all time and not just because Charlton Heston played him in the movie. Yet, at this moment, Moses was losing it. His vision was getting drowned because he had no management experience or skills…which is fine…but he didn’t surround himself with people who did, and that’s the lesson for today.

According to the story, Jethro, the Father-In-Law, shows up in the desert after Moses leads the people out of slavery. Jethro comes to see this amazing visionary who the whole “world” is talking about.?

What he finds appalls him…Moses sits all day, holding court…people are stuck waiting in the burning sun for hours, grumbling, and not happy. Bottom line…his Leadership and vision were getting buried by his lack of sharing the burden; inability to delegate; and cluelessness about how to turn vision into a system that made it all real.

Like I said, read the text…Jethro told him what to do, and he did it by ”appointing capable people”—giving them the Authority they needed (see my post on Accountability) to be accountable…thus, changing the downward spiral and trajectory of his mission.?

I return to my tried-and-true acrostic to make the point about Leaders:

• L – learn and listen. Leaders learn. Leaders listen. Think about Moses…he could have thanked Jethro, his father-in-law, and ignored him. Even worse, he could have berated him and pulled the old power trip. Instead, he set up a new system and changed the game.
• E – empower. Leaders empower others. And there you have it…leaders don’t hold on to power…they aren’t paranoid about sharing. They delegate. They create teams. They step back. Read the story…it's all there.
• A – arm. Leaders arm their teams—their followers—with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed. This is what makes empowerment work. They don’t hoard the info in the skewed notion that knowledge is power and limiting it is more power. And they take accountability as well…in the case of this story, the new Judges knew they could bring the toughest cases to Moses.
• D – defend. Leaders defend their people. They never throw anyone under a bus. They go to bat for them. Advocate for them. Protect them. See the Vice President…whoops!
• E – energize. Leaders motivate. They inspire. They create and share energy with new ideas and innovation based on the core vision.?
• R – run. Leaders never stop. Leadership never stops. Leaders are always on…even on bad days, always arming, defending, empowering, learning, and listening.?
• S – share. Leaders share all. The glory. The reward. The blame. The pain.?

In summary, I question whether there is any Leadership to be found when the headlines read, “Leadership styles at odds…”

Think about the humility of a true Leader who can learn and listen…