How Drama Undermines Leadership

Dear readers,

Like many people I know, I still feel exhausted by the drama of the recent election cycle. At times, it feels almost debilitating. Some people can tune out the noise and go about their business, but it is hard for many. I was fortunate to have planned a vacation starting the day after the election, and I found it easy to turn off the news and focus on our visit with our daughter and a trip to Napa Valley - where it's easy to escape the world.

But I cannot escape the feeling that an important opportunity is buried beneath all the noise.

As business leaders, we can influence how people feel and, perhaps, what they think. This is our most powerful tool, and how we use it defines what kind of leader we are.

Our businesses and our lives are always scripted. The question is, by whom? If we don't write our own script, someone else will. We can shift the drama in people's lives by changing the script we perform. This is how you make drama work for you.

I firmly believe that the men and women who lead the world's small and mid-size businesses do more benefit society's social, economic, and cultural needs than politics, policies, or government ever has or ever will. The promise of tomorrow depends on leaders who can rise above the drama that gets in our way and bring the kind of joy to the world that comes from the satisfaction of accomplishing truly meaningful things.

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How Drama Undermines Leadership

The recent election cycle crescendoed with hand-wringing uncertainty, at least for those like me who couldn't stop paying attention. For some, it's the need to win. But for most, it's our innate addiction to drama.?

Something in the human psyche feeds on drama as if it were oxygen. Whether the emotional tug comes from feeling connected to the human condition or any form of intense emotional experience that helps us feel fully alive, the fear of loss brings anxiety and despair just as surely as possibility brings us hope and joy.?

My coaching dialogues with business leaders often focus on tamping down the drama in their organizations. Drama is unavoidable, but it hurts performance. Left unchecked, it takes on a life of its own and becomes the de facto leader of a company culture, overshadowing the influence the leader's role requires her to exercise. However, taking back the narrative also involves drama. Leadership is a performing art. The issue is whose script is playing out.

There are high-drama leaders. These charismatic women and men rally their followers' hearts and minds to influence outcomes. People feel attracted to them, or more likely, what they perceive these leaders to be. But that tends to be a fickle relationship. We see this constantly with politicians who fall from favor faster than they rise to prominence. Maintaining influence like this is exhausting—not only for the person seeking election but also for their constituents.?

Low-drama leaders are more durable. Their bonds with their followers tend to be built on trust and mutual respect. People can respect those they disagree with or dislike. Leaders perform better when their leadership is based on respect rather than being liked. This allows them to make unpopular decisions when necessary without fearing that their influence depends on pleasing others.?

Many decisions are easy to make. The choices are clear, and anyone with sufficient authority and knowledge of the consequences can readily handle them. However, the tough decisions quickly work their way up to the leader of any organization. The consequences are high, and there are no simple choices. Often, there are no good choices, and the differences are difficult to discern. But not deciding isn't an option; a non-decision is always a decision.?

We trust leaders to make the best decisions they can. Nobody can call the right shots all the time. Leaders who show themselves to be human by demonstrating humility, vulnerability, and empathy are rewarded with forbearance by those who trust and believe in them. This latitude allows us to take the risks necessary to support anything we invest in, whether emotionally or financially.

I am inspired by leaders who understand the dynamics of drama and how it can work for or against them. Those who lean into their fears and increase their emotional intelligence become better equipped to deal with the rapidly growing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. They exemplify the kind of leadership we need more of in the world.

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