Here is something I know for sure: Leadership is not just about winning. If this has not yet become apparent to Mr. Donald J. Trump and his team at the White House they are in bigger trouble than I thought. Since winning the 2016 Presidential election in the United States Of America which he was expected to lose, Mr. Trump has squandered the opportunity to galvanize opposing factions of a bitterly contested election and take advantage of his new found hero status to really make America greater than it has ever been. His campaign had the right message and tapped into the right vein of America's discontent, I did not agree with nor condone the tactics and methodology but he won and that is 'yuge". He needed to switch hats and step up his leadership game and he didn't do that.
I am predicting that his campaign and presidency will be the most examined case study by leadership gurus, intellectuals, students of politics and human behaviour enthusiasts like myself for a very, very long time. I had the good fortune of completing the
+John Maxwell Team Certification program last August and having studied
+John C. Maxwell acclaimed book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership, hear is how I break down what I have observed about Mr. Trump's leadership so far.
CHARACTER
Character matters a lot! Most of us grew up hearing often, at home, church and school the importance of building a good character. Parents and teachers have always told us "show us your friends and we will know what type of person you are" and "birds of a feather flock together". Apart from the outrageous statements he made at the beginning of his candidacy, the first thing I noticed following the election was the character of the people Mr. Trump surrounded himself with. John Maxwell says it best "leaders develop daily not in a day" so it is highly unlikely that Mr. Trump will change his character or develop new leadership style any time during his presidency since he appears to have great resistance to personal growth. I believe it was
+Mark Cuban who said he liked Mr. Trump until he realized that Mr. Trump had no desire to learn. Personally, I knew of Mr. Trump since he was always in the news but didn't know much about him. I loved The Apprentice, it's a great concept so I watched religiously in the early days. I stopped watching when Mr. Trump started belittling people. I thought that there are many great leaders out there that I can learn from, I do not need to watch someone who calls himself a successful businessman insult and degrade people on television.
THE LAW OF THE INNER CIRCLE
There is a law that governs the universe that says like attract like, so in order to be great one has to consciously choose people to compliment and strengthen one's own talents and personality. John Maxwell said this about The Law Of The Inner Circle: "A leader's potential is determined by those closest to him." Stop here and think about the people in Mr. Trump's inner circle. "What makes the difference is the leader's inner circle." By picking only people who think the same way as himself and who appear to have questionable character and dubious past conducts, Mr. Trump has unintentionally endangered his administration. Instead of having people in his administration to help him stay focused and steer him in the right direction, those chosen to work in his administration have become bogged down with scandals, infighting and information leaks.
THE LAW OF THE BUY-IN
Having won the general election, immediately Mr. Trump and his team should have moved to get the rest of the country who didn't vote for him, and even those residents not eligible to vote, to buy into his vision. He didn't do that, him and his team decided only to "play to his base" and so now his presidency has been marked by protests and opposition from day one.
THE LAW OF RESPECT
In the chapter on the law of respect John writes: "When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you." When we respect ourselves, we conduct ourselves in a respectful manner. It is quite apparent that on many levels Mr. Trump doesn't respect himself and has displayed the same lack of respect to people he doesn't like, those who disagree with him and as a newly minted politician, those who do not support him. As an outside observer, it is clear that he does not hold that much respect for the Office Of The President Of The United States Of America either. Actions speak louder than words, so he can say that he does respect the office as loudly as he can, but I will believe what he does. Actions come out of the innermost being, where the hidden thoughts are. The hidden thoughts are the unspoken words and hard held beliefs which manifest into action, and nobody can deny that.
Closing thought on respect from John's book: "Dictators and autocratic leaders rely on violence and intimidation to get people to do what they want. That's not really leadership. In contrast, good leaders rely on respect...... When leaders show respect for others - especially for people who have less power or a lower position than theirs - they gain respect from others."
Wow, this is such a powerful little book, read it twice and now that I had to go back to correctly reference the quotes, I will start reading it again. Certainly worth drilling the principles contained in the leadership laws down until they become second nature.
Personal note: This blog post is not intended to promote John's book. I am simply putting my thoughts in writing and the book just happens to be fantastic reference material.
Have a superb Saturday,
BEVERLEY ALLEN, FLMI
Beverley
Investment Fund Advisor & Life and Health Insurance Advisor
Desjardins Financial Security Investments Inc.
Desjardins Financial Security Independent Network
Ontario Central Region (OCR), GTA West Branch
5070 Dixie Road
Mississauga, On L4W 1C9
#MoneyTalkwithBevAllen
