As a leadership coach and concerned citizen, I’ve been biting my tongue, sitting back watching and observing how leadership has been unfolding. I realize this is a risky and polarizing topic but here goes…
I’m guessing you’ve taken a little bit of time and energy to think about Donald Trump as he relates to leadership. We all know he’s running for the top leadership position in our country and perhaps the world.
What is it telling us about leadership that Donald Trump is getting so much attention? What is it telling us about followership that Donald Trump is getting so many followers?
Here’s my take: If you are loud enough people will pay attention.
I’m not sure that’s the best answer but the reality of the situation is he is so loud and so abrasive he can’t help but garner the attention of both the media and the rest of us. But does that make him a leader? Is that the kind of leader we want?
If your leadership style is predominantly based upon emotions you will create a very fired up team.
In football and rugby having an overly emotional and angry team might be a good strategy, but even then I think an overly angry player is not a better player. Unfortunately, Trump is not running for the head coach of an NFL football team — he is running for the head coach of a large and important society of civilized people (I hope we can be civilized).
It seems like a major step backward to rally around a leader whose main strategies seem to be centered around being bombastic, bullying and creating a spectacle.
What does it say about the locker room? What does it say about all the other players who have been in the political arena that have allowed this character to rise up and take control of the locker room? It seems to me like it’s a testimonial for a lack of leadership amongst the other players in the room. Why did that happen? Who could have and should have risen above the other players at some point over the last eight years?
Where are we on truth in terms of leadership?
Is honesty important? Or should we not be worried about allowing facts to get in the way of a good story? What does this say about who we are as a society and who we are becoming?
I realize there are a huge number of people that are totally dissatisfied with our political leaders and the political system — and I get it. At the same time seeing a leader like Trump emerge I think should give us all good reason to take pause and think about who we are as a group that has created the kind of environment that has led to this type of leadership.
I would love to see a businessman lead our country.
I would welcome strong and decisive leadership, but we also know today’s effective leaders need to be able to connect with diverse audiences and find solutions that most people can buy into.
I’m an eternal optimist.
I believe many times we have to go through difficult and challenging situations to learn some of our most important and impactful lessons. What are we learning now? What kinds of leaders do we need to help this great country invent a powerful and promising next chapter? Who do we need to be as individual leaders and individual voters to make that happen?
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