Yesterday was the day the City of
Toronto gained the world’s media attention for all the wrong reasons. On social
media I called it a Day of Shame for the City of Toronto. Toronto Mayor Rob
Ford has admitted that he used crack cocaine while in office in one of his
drunken stupors. As student of leadership I believe the saga of Toronto’s Mayor
Rob Ford offers us a number of important lessons on leadership. If you are looking to enhance your career or aspiring for leadership roles you should take notes from the Rob Ford saga.
Trustworthy
A leader must be trustworthy. A
leader must operate with integrity and fundamental ethical behaviour and values.
We may follow a leader who lacks a clear vision, plan or goals as long as we
are confident he or she is working to develop or refine these key requirements
of leadership. However, the minute we determine we are unable to trust a leader
we will be cautious with our support. As the mayor of Canada’s largest city,
Rob Ford has created a trust deficit and as long as he remains mayor his focus
will be to re-establish the trust with the people of the City of Toronto. Creativity,
hopefulness trust and honesty are attributes of effective leadership but
honesty and trust are perhaps the key.
Communicate frequently and with
precision
A key success factor for leaders
is effective communication. Leaders must communicate frequently and with precision
to promote transparency and openness. Mr. Ford was far from being transparent and
opened when news of a video allegedly showing him smoking crack cocaine first surfaced
earlier in the year.
A leader that wants to be taken
seriously must lead with a steady hand and calming voice. Mayor Rob Ford is
clearly not the best or most effective communicator. For want of better word
Mr. Ford lacks stage presence. When facing the media whether it is to answer
questions on his support for transit or his use of crack cocaine he sometimes
loses his cool. Leaders must be patient. A leader must take time to explain complex
actions in a simple manner. For an official to face the public to admit the use
of drugs it is not an easy task. It takes courage and guts. However as
difficult as it may be, Rob Ford need to explain his abnormal behaviour in a manner that will make the public understand.
He should speak bluntly about his
behaviour without offending others such other city councillors, the police,
business leaders and the general public including the media. By speaking
bluntly he can open a window for descending views and allow room for dialogue
and discourse. He should have a polite and open discussion on why he will not seek
a leave of absence or resigned as mayor. I think this approach would please
those who may disagreed or oppose Mr. Ford as well as it will please his
supporters who are looking for clarity. The public is yearning to understanding
Mr. Ford’s motivation for smoking crack cocaine. He clearly enjoys grass root
support in Ford Nation and if he speaks bluntly and honestly may be able to commence
the healing process.
Aura that displays confidence
Strong leaders are decisive and
courageous and display an aura of confidence. They display a sense of
conviction to implement what they believe is the right thing, when they could
have taken the easy or popular way out. This makes people respect and trust them
even if they disagree. Mr. Ford is clearly not the most confident leader I have
seen on displayed particularly during a state of crisis even if it is a
personal crisis. Mr. Ford aura conveys a bit of vulnerability that let him appear like the average Joe Public and it is perhaps this visible vulnerability that drives his popularity.
Performance
Performance is a key success
factor for a leader. No one should think that the job of politician is an easy
one. It is devilishly difficult, requiring dedication, diligence, discipline
and devotion as well as effort demanded by few other pursuits. Throughout the
unfolding of the saga surrounding Mayor Rob Ford, he is constantly reminding
Torontonians that he is protecting taxpayers and saving taxpayers money. He
constantly refers to his deep love for the City of Toronto and its people. An
outstanding leader is a person who willing to serve and fulfill the interests
of others above and beyond personal interests. It is unclear to me whether Mr.
Ford is putting his personal interest such as his love for the city and deep
rooted belief that he is only one capable for ruling Toronto as mayor at this
time ahead of true interest of the citizens of Toronto. As this is Canada, a
country rooted in freedom and democracy no one would like to think we are
capable of having a city being led by a leader might be sliding towards despotic
behaviour.
Yesterday as I listened to various
call-in programs on radio and television I was amazed by the number of people that
said the mayor should be given a second chance. Numerous callers said the mayor
was doing a good job and that his work has not been affected by his use of
alcohol or crack cocaine. During the summer I was at a barbecue and I overheard
two ladies speaking about Rob Ford. They said that the elites in Toronto are
trying to get rid of Mayor Rob Ford but they can’t because he is doing a good
job. They said he is only one in Toronto helping poor people by creating jobs
for inner city youths and address the dilapidated conditions in the city’s
community housing. The bottom line is as the Ford saga is unfolding his job
performance is clearly not an issue.
Build a team
One of the hallmarks of strong
leaders is that they always surround themselves with a strong support team. Clearly
Mr. Ford’s trust deficit does not and is not likely to inspire loyalty and make
city councillors and others feel confident in his leadership. They are more
likely now to be less relaxed and may see the need to be more protective and
even combative. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair for example is unlikely to have
any confidence in the mayor. The Chief is on record as saying he is ashamed the
evidence uncovered relating to the mayor’s behaviour as a public servant.
An important point not be
overlooked when speak of leadership and the importance fostering an effective
team is that a damaged leader hurts the entire team. Doug Ford’s reputation is
also intimately tied to the mayor’s demise. As mayor’s brother and strongest
supporter was he aware of the mayor’s behaviour?
In the Ford saga there are some
unanswered questions which in my view are likely to hurt Toronto Police Chief
and the Toronto Police’s reputation. Given the extensive police surveillance techniques
and the abundance of evidence I would have expected that if it was anyone else the
police would have charged and arrested the suspect. Therefore there are a
number of unanswered questions. For example, why was the mayor not arrested and
charged? Are politicians treated differently than other citizens by law
enforcement? Is the police serving as proxies for Mr. Ford’s political
opponents? No matter what the answers are to these questions, a damaged leader
such as Mr. Rob Ford hurts the entire team and in this case there is some
damages done to the Police Chief and his investigators.
A damaged leader hurts the team
and the organisation or establishment.
Mark McKenzie is a leading
Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well
as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth
mentor. He can be contacted by email
mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always
write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter @mackynacky. Connect with me
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