The pandemic is testing leaders of all types in a very public way. Here’s one expert’s views on what makes for an effective leader in a crisis.
Dov Seidman:
Great leaders trust people with the truth. And they make hard decisions guided by values and principles, not just politics, popularity or short-term profits. Great leaders understand that when so many vulnerable and scared people are so willing, so quickly, to put their livelihoods and even their lives in their leaders’ hands, and make sacrifices asked of them, they expect the truth and nothing but the truth in return. Leaders who trust people with the truth are trusted more in return. But you better not betray my trust — by not telling me the truth — when I have literally put my life in your hands.
. . .In addition to truth and hope, what people actually want in a leader, even a charismatic one, is humility. I feel more certain in the face of uncertainty when a leader says to me, “I don’t know, but here are the wise experts I am going to turn to for answers, and here is how we are going to hunt for the answers together.” The more I hear Dr. Fauci say that he does not know something, the more closely I listen to him discuss what he is sure of.
Does Mr. Seidman get it right here? How do you rate your local, business, religious, national, and/or other leaders on these qualities?
Article link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/opinion/covid-dov-seidman.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage