[December 4, 2016] A few days ago a small, rusting wrought-iron gate was found in rural Norway. Any of us would not have given it even a passing thought. But this gate bore the words “Arbeit Macht Frei” or “Work Sets You Free” and was the gate in which prisoners passed as they entered the infamous Concentration camp at Dachau, Germany. Like this gate, good leaders recognize that symbols can be very powerful.
The All Seeing Eye, the “Scared” Bull, the Christian Cross, the Communist Hammer and Sickle, the Celtic Cross, and the Nazi Swastika are just a tiny number of powerful symbols that elicit strong emotions. And so it is with the Dachau Iron Gate that witnessed over 32,000 documented deaths and many more undocumented deaths of Jews, German and Austrian criminals, captured foreign nationals, and other deplorables that the Nazi ideological machine targeted.
The historic gate was stolen from the Dachau camp by unknown persons sometime in early November 2014. It has been repeated said that the theft was an act of desecration as the gate is a key symbol of the great suffering the camp prisoners were forced to endure. Many from the military and political community noted that the theft of the gate was an “outrage” and are now “delighted” that the gate has been located.
“It is a great relief to me that this piece of original evidence of the Nazi’s cynicism and contempt for humankind has been recovered.” – Karl Freller, Director of the Bavarian Memorial Foundation
On July 3, 1863 my great-great-grandfather was a color bearer during the famous United States Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. He lived. But as we study war in the 19th century, color bearers rarely survive a battle without, at the minimum, serious injury. The enemy was always keen on shooting at those who carry flags into battle. The American flag is powerful symbol with great emotion attached to it as are other national flags.
Leadership involves recognizing the power of symbols and great care in respecting that people are tied emotionally to them. When those symbols are used inappropriately by leaders or by those they represent, then great harm can come about. Those leaders who are ignorant of this are doomed to failure. Surprisingly, we see leadership failure often when symbols are involved.
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