What Makes a Leader?

This past week, a few people have approached me with stories of crises. Without getting into specifics, in each case one MBA was angered, annoyed, or upset by the actions of another. In each case I was asked for my advice, and it was usually the same words that came out of my mouth. Be a bigger man or woman, and confront the person. Act like the bigger person and have a heart to heart with the other and get everything on the table. It was funny, though, as I thought of how I'd act if I was verbally attacked by another person, and I have to say that I am not so sure I could keep a level head. And thus... I started thinking about true management of situations and leadership.

Anyone can be a great leader and a true manager of a situation when things are good. When you have a team together and everyone is working hard, it is easy to call yourself the leader. However, I feel that true leadership comes out when people are upset, when the situation is not so calm, and when there is trouble in the land. Some people shy away from these situations, to be a 'Teflon' leader as labeled by my professor and former media CEO Steve Florio. The 'Teflon' leader is friends with everyone and very politically correct, latching on to the people in charge and being 'yes' men or women. This type of manager will always place the blame when there is a crisis and will sell out her or his people to save her or his hide. I have encountered many 'Teflon' leaders throughout my career, some from the top undergraduate and MBA Programs in the world, and frankly, I look back on these people with utter disdain.

A true leader stands in the fire. They would take the blame when issues go wrong and will be humble and modest when there is success. There are other attributes of leadership under crisis that I would like to highlight to you: 1) When confronting one another, do it face to face. Do not send an e-mail, do not go to their superior or professor. Sit down and address a problem with another in person. 2) Do not let annoyances upset you to the point where you explode. A leader will address a problem before it becomes big. 3) A true leader knows when he or she cannot solve a problem and asks for help. 4) Do not be upset by criticism. As a leader you will constantly be criticized and chastised. Address criticism without a counter attack, and be above those who hate on you.

I want to highlight a situation that demonstrated poor leadership in the last few months. The hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast of the United States and, more specifically, the government's inept response, demonstrated a lack of leadership. Days prior to the hurricane, the leaders of that region and everyone knew that this would destroy the system that kept the waters of the Gulf out of New Orleans. This would surely mean flooding which would surely flood the generators, thus power would be lost in the region. It is also known that there were many poorly built structures in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, with very poor residents who were unable to simply leave.

The first thing that should have been done was to set up a nerve center for coordinating the relief and rescue effort. The next thing should have been that a chain of command be set up in the nerve center with one person responsible for leading the effort. This NEVER HAPPENED, and was a failure of the local, state, and federal governments. Everything that happened after this, from the need for buses, the lack of relief supplies, and the lawlessness, was a direct result of the lack of leadership at the beginning of the crisis, and I was embarrassed that my own government could not take care of its people.

Lesson learned: in crisis situations, step up. Be a leader, make it known that you are the leader, and offer to moderate disputes - take people head on and don't be a 'Teflon' leader. You might make a mistake, but character is built by making the big decision. Last, to the MBAs who asked for my advice... I still say to be above those who attacked you. Confidence is believing in yourself in the face of criticism, and rising up to show people how to act responsibly and professionally when crises occur.

Endnote: I would like to congratulate the new members of the SCORP Executive Board: Duke, Jillian, Steven, Amit, and Blake, as well as all of the new block leaders. This should be a pretty amazing year and a chance for you guys to shine. I look forward to working with you all over the course of this academic year.

Endnote 2: Juran, if you criticize this article again, you might find a broken root beer bottle on the floor of your 'smart' classroom. See what troublesome nasty-gram e-mails you will receive then!