Against those who divide us

The true leader brings people together. His/her main strength is the ability to create large coalitions by emphasising what is shared by many and proposing a way forward that appears as rewarding to most of the people. The politics of division and confrontation are the weapons of those who lack ideas and ideals. Politicians of that calibre end up by bringing disaster upon themselves and on those who believe in them. Therefore, it is our duty to combat them and make sure that they are out at the end of the next electoral day.

Leadership and perceptions

Leadership is about empathy with the ordinary person on the street. The leader must be perceived as a caring and committed individual.

Tomorrow or today?

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. A very political word. Also, a tactical concept, a guide for inaction and avoiding hard decisions, moments of truth.

Or, so often, tomorrow should take place today, make it happen. That’s leadership.

Again on leadership

Principles, young man, principles! That´s the secret of good leadership. And if you cannot find the right principle to justify your decisions, then be creative and come up with a new one. Just be clear and very firm when stating that new principle. Ambiguity is not accepted. Ambiguity is good in matters of philosophy and poetry but not in matters of leadership. People want to understand your reasons. You have to be clear. Then, you are a leader. 

One more thought on leadership

Nothing can be taken for granted any longer. Change happens pretty fast and even institutions and systems that looked pretty steady can find themselves under serious challenge. In this type of circumstances, one should always be willing to consider the unexpected and the absurd. That´s in many ways the new approach to leadership: to be able to imagine the unthinkable and have prepared the appropriate answers just in case it happens. 

Leadership requires a great amount of patience

Be patient: that´s one of the most important qualities of good leadership. It does not prevent you from fighting for your views but you do it with resolve, a strong sense of opportunity and in an elevated manner. Or, determination, timing and posture are critical for any successful venture.

I recognise it is not easy to be patient. Therefore, you have to keep repeating it to yourself all the time. And in particular, when you are under pressure.

Let´s be clear and respectful

In today´s world, when everyone has access to many sources of information and opinion, the leaders cannot continue to believe they will be able to deceive the population. Leadership is indeed about clarity and respect. And not too many words, because lengthy sentences can be seen as hiding places for deceit and weakness.

Commitment and leadership

In today´s world, with the wide access to information that the citizens enjoy, the leaders can only convince and be accepted if they are deeply dedicated to the common good. 

Credible leadership is missing

There aren´t enough reasonable voices around. The current circumstances require leaders that speak clearly and give sense and hope in response to destabilising events. Leaders that are good at inspiring confidence. We are confronted with exceptional times and have very ordinary and soulless individuals at the helm. 

Political imprudence

Some leaders never miss a chance to remind us they are just fools. Every new statement, every new proposal, all moves are like reminders of their mindlessness. But then I recall that Napoleon used to say that “in politics, stupidity is not a handicap”.

And I move on.

But now it seems we have another example. The French political leadership has now come to the conclusion they want a Frenchman as the new head of the European Commission. And the name of Pierre Moscovici has been mentioned. He was Hollande´s Finance Minister up to recently. Then, he lost some local election and had to leave his Cabinet position. Defeated by the voters in his community, that know him well, can he be a serious candidate for the top job in the European institutions?

Really? Or is it a joke we do not get?

Then Napoleon´s words came to mind. Not about Pierre, but about the one who is advancing his name. 

Davos 2014

Davos is back this week. The World Economic Forum will discuss, during a few days, how to change to the planet. Some big names from the business will meet again lesser names from the politics. The wheels of networking will get their required dose of grease.

But the meeting itself has lost some of the shine of the past. There are now too many competing initiatives.

In the end, the great and the powerful will go back to their usual occupations. And the world might not have noticed that on the top of a Swiss mountain some beautiful people have spent a few nice days debating how to change it.

The world remains, as we can see, a very ungrateful place.

On leadership again and always

Leadership requires a firm voice. To be loud is not the point. It only adds noise. It is to be perceived as clear and brave that matters.  

Margaret Thatcher: a simple tribute

Margaret Thatcher, who died this morning, stood among the most salient leaders of the second half of the 20^th Century. Born in poverty and being a woman in a man’s world, she overcame stereotype and prejudice. She was a person of great nerve and resolve, very tactical and at the same time, focussed on the big picture and strategic. Like many leaders, she could be extremely stubborn and very suspicious about the people surrounding her.

All in all, her example inspired many; even those who deeply disagreed with her ideologically charged conservative views and policies. 

Leaders understand the public mood

As I observe what is going on in some European countries, I have to recognise I do not understand Prime Ministers who are afraid of reshuffling the composition of their Cabinet.  It is a serious leadership weakness. It gives the impression the leader is trapped by his or her direct collaborators and has no real power to change ministers and bring in new blood.

It also sends a very strong negative signal of stubbornness, inability to adjust to new political circumstances.  For the voters, it looks like the leader is just ignoring the way the public opinion has evolved since Cabinet has been put together. 

Offshore

Today’s big news is the disclosure of the findings of an extensive worldwide investigation carried out by a large consortium of international journalists about offshore financial transactions. 

It is true that many of the identified operations are legal, in terms of the international law regulating financial and business activities. However, it is also a fact that a large number of those transactions are just a cover for criminal activities, including outright stealing of public monies by some very well-known government leaders.

It is too early to evaluate the impact of this wide-ranging investigative work. But one can expect a number of heavy political storms in the days ahead. But, I suspect that in the end the ones that will be prosecuted will be the smaller fish, the mere mortals, not the big leaders linked to political power. 

New leaders are required

The question today is a very painful one: who is in charge of the EU? Indeed, it is sad to note that the European machinery is without a leader, at a time of great confusion and very serious risks for the continuity of the community project. We have not heard a single word from Van Rompuy about the Cypriot debacle. Barroso is travelling in Russia and then goes further east, to Mongolia, but nobody knows what he is recommending. Not even a single word of concern, when many of those who care about the future of Europe feel things are getting tremendously out of hand.

At the national level, Hollande gives the impression he has not been told about Cyprus. Merkel is also silent, which might actually be a better option in her case. And all the others, in the different capitals, are just hiding behind their national borders. Small people are very well known to be fond of the saying “wait and see”…

This crisis calls for a new type of leadership. For people whose voices are clear and able to spell out the direction things should take. For people that are not afraid to say that the way we are now moving brings us to the past. And the past of Europe was pretty ugly. 

Leadership is also about a good lunch

When there is a small assembly around a table and a microphone in front of each seat, there is always someone among the big boys that plays the crazy guy, either by rattling on about this and that, in a way that nobody follows or cares about, or then by saying some odd thing that leaves everybody else open-mouthed.

Recently, in a high level meeting between different chiefs of armed forces, one of them, who had remained silent throughout the morning – it is true his country is not really in a position to have a position – , asked for the floor, grasped the microphone, smiled and made a very important statement: I am hungry!

Many in the speechless audience reacted the same way: they checked the time. It was ten to one! The general could be a peculiar fellow, indeed. But he knew the value of a good lunch! 

On elites

I spent the evening in a discussion about elites. Elites are necessary, but only if they can accept to be challenged and are not afraid of people who are and think differently.

The discussion took place in a very pretty small village next to Lake Leman in between Geneva and Lausanne. The surroundings, I hope, made some of my strong positions seem a little bit softer...

[You see, I am like all those leaders that feel a deep need to be loved...Wrong approach...]

To know when it is time to exit

It would be unfair to ignore Pope Benedict XVI on the day that marks the end of his papacy. From a leadership point of view, Benedict XVI will remain as unforgettable example. For me, the ultimate test of good leadership is the exit one: a first-class leader knows when time to exit is. 

To be prepared for the right questions

Yesterday’s question – the key question a leader should prioritise and try to respond to – raised a number of reactions among the blog’s readers. That was, actually, the whole point of the question: to get people to think about the possible answers to it. Because quite often we tend to forget the important questions and give answers to matters that are not particularly relevant.

The many leaders I met – the true ones – where people that new how to ask questions. They would look at you and raise a point for you to respond to. And many times I felt embarrassed because I had not thought deeply – or at all! – about it and had no good answer to provide. I would then feel dwarfed by my interlocutor. And that is a feeling you cannot allow people to get you to experience if you have aspirations and want to been perceived as a match.