Leadership

We desperately need leadership and, in spite of their rhetoric to the contrary, our political leaders are actually incapable of providing it.  They want the authority associated with leadership but they aren't willing to assume responsibility or accept accountability.

I am currently enrolled in an Organizational Behavior class.  The authors of my textbook state that leaders in organizations "usually accept three key functions in their roles:

• Authority: the right to make decisions,
• Responsibility: assignment for achieving a goal, and
• Accountability: acceptance of success or failure." *

Politicians love power.  We give them the authority to make decisions.  They especially like to assume a mythical "mandate" if they win their elections by a large margin. 

The real problem is that taking responsibility and being accountable is politically risky.  Playing the blame game and accusing the opposition of being the cause of a problem is much safer.  After all, the primary goal of career politicians is to keep winning their elections and extending their careers in "public service."

A while back I read a quote in Time magazine by John McCain that went something like, "The problem in Washington is everyone is responsible, so no one is responsible."  So, the Democratic leadership blames the Republican leadership and the Republican leadership blames the Democratic leadership.  And so it goes, around and around and around.  They don't really have to accomplish much of anything on our behalf because they are not responsible for any failings...its the other guy's fault! 

The real problem is we don't hold them accountable.  They behave the way they do because we continue to let them get away with it. 

Political insanity!
   
* Hellriegel, Don and John W. Slocum Jr.  Organizational Behavior.  13th Edition.  CENGAGE Learning.  Madison, Ohio