Longing for (Aussie) Leadership
Why the leadership crisis could prove worse than the health one
My frustration at Australia’s covid response is growing.
I’m an Australian citizen. My entire family is Down Under and like others in my position I have been watching the Morrison Government’s reaction to Covid from afar — in my case from my home in London.
The comfort I drew from the early closing of borders and fast and hard clampdown on cases, quickly turned to incredulously watching a nation become terrified into isolation and calling it “normal”.
Instagram is full of stories of Aussies celebrating how “back to normal” everything is, seemingly oblivious to how very UNnormal their situation is.
And how long it looks like being so.
The idea that going to the footy, and having dinner with friends somehow compensates for not being allowed to leave the country and living under a veil of fear from a virus we now know, understand and have a myriad of vaccines for!
Australia’s commendable quick reaction at the start will be long forgotten and replaced by justifiable criticism and, at the extreme, civil unrest as people’s relief at not having to wear masks is replaced by their inability to travel beyond their gilded cage without federal government permission.
Aside from the massive economic cost (international students alone usually contribute over $40 billion to the Australian economy) this is also the real world where freedom, and freedom of choice and the ability to run our lives as we wish is sacrosanct.
Commentators far more eloquent than I have spoken of the sheer insanity of thinking you can keep the borders closed and the population locked down indefinitely. And citizens stranded, some for months or even more than a year, as they watch wealthy celebrities being given permission to enter the country, have lodged complaints with the United Nations Human Rights Committee, arguing they have been denied the basic human right to return home.
This is (mostly) not a failure of health policy — but it is a failure of leadership.
Leadership to steer a nation through and out of a crisis.
While this has been a very trying 18 months, and I have sympathy for the premiers of all nations as they navigate this crisis, this crisis was global.
The first countries “hit” could claim ignorance, didn’t know what they were facing and were operating in the blind. The further you look down the timeline of the pandemic the less “excuse” countries and governments have for not having acted on information already in the public domain. It’s why there was such anger at the slow moving actions of the UK government.
Change, uncertainty and setbacks are inevitable but leadership is about having the courage to lead. It really is as simple as that.
And leading is about being resilient, agile and courageous, especially in the face of a scared and anxious populace. But as the preacher Max Lucado so eloquently stated “A man (ahem… women too!) who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd”
As in business, so in government.
Make decisions
True leaders are expert decision makers — they tackle issues head-on and they tackle them early. Leaders make decisions with incomplete information, usually under pressure and with competing priorities and conflicting opinions.
But that’s the job!
Leaders don’t avoid uncomfortable circumstances; they seek them out since that is often where they are most needed.
Decision making is an active process and builds momentum through problem solving — it is relentless and (usually) you can only know if you made the right decision long after the decision was made the the court of public opinion has brought its verdict.
Change direction when the moment calls for it
The ability to change your mind intelligently is a key skill for leaders in a rapidly shifting environment. The uninitiated call it “flip flopping” but changing direction when circumstances change is a key skill.
It is to the detriment of all that we expect politicians to be right first time every time. It is an impossible standard that they will never live up to.
Our expectation means they are often faced with doing the right thing and being smacked down by the media and the public or doing the wrong thing and avoiding such criticism in the short term (until the inevitable blowback).
We must leave space for people to change course and at the same time leaders must have the courage to make change even if it’s unpopular.
Focus on what’s important
In 1971 the economist Herbert Simon wrote “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
Leadership is about coping with change and complexity and multiple “number one priorities”. Effective leaders direct attention to the right matters to maximise impact. They wisely seek counsel from experts, contrarians and counsel to determine what those right matters are. But ultimately they point the ship in the direction they deem most important.
If in doubt, the important things are often those things people are avoiding. The important things are often also the hard things.
Lead by Example
There are few things as frustrating as watching people say one thing and do another. Successful leaders practice what they preach and are mindful of their actions and how those actions are perceived by others.
They do this not just because it’s the right thing to do but because, like it or not, everyone is watching everything and consistency between language and action leads to respect (though not necessarily agreement)
Few things frustrate more than what we deem to be disingenuous. I may disagree with you but I respect the passion, commitment and consistency with which you approach it.
Leadership isn’t given (that’s management) — you’re a leader if the way you react, the way you behave, the way you are gives others confidence that you are one to follow.
To quote the late, great, Ruth Bader Ginsburg “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you”
It is impossible to lead if people won’t follow so it is incumbent of true leaders to be passionate, to be wise, to create a wide tent and most important to focus on meaningful action to create change.
True leadership has never been more needed and desperate, and I hope we see more inspired leadership across business and charity, government and community.
In the meantime I hope to see it more in Canberra — because I want to come home.
