[October 23, 2014] During World War II, the Battle of Normandy began on D-Day June 6, 1944. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle was the beginning of the end of war in Europe. General Dwight Eisenhower’s strategic decision for the main Allied thrust to start the drive in northern Europe was unpopular since it carried great risk, with many in the government and military opposed to it. Yet, he made it his position clear and that any failure of the landings would be his responsibility alone. Great leaders understand that when their actions are unpopular, they must nonetheless stand up and be counted.
“Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” – Proverbs 20:11, King James Bible.
True leadership is shown when a person is willing to be associated with an unpopular action. Whether that action is a hated employee decision or an association with someone disliked, the credibility and trustworthiness of that leader is reinforced by having the moral courage to be there and show where one stands. For senior leaders and those wanting to be senior leaders, anything less would be shameful and demonstrates a lack of key qualities necessary for senior leadership.
Here are a few things that a leader should avoid when his actions are unpopular:
- Avoid or lie about being associated with the decision, policy, or idea …
- Be evasive or misled people about his thoughts, ideas, or support for it …
- Fail to follow basic principles of behavior …
I propose that a leader who does anything but possess strong conviction and willingness to own the action, is not a true leader. For example, there is an election only two weeks away in the United States, yet the media is full of stories about politicians avoiding unpopular people. Is this a natural reaction? Yes, perhaps for a child but not for an adult. With U.S. President being unpopular at the moment, many in his political party are distancing themselves from him and his policies – see media links 1, 2, 3, and 4 below. By doing so, they show a shallowness in their leadership traits.
When leaders don’t embrace their unpopular actions, they tamper with their own integrity and tread on the thin ice of moral courage.
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[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-10-22/dnc-chairwoman-evades-questions-about-obama
[3] http://www.westernjournalism.com/democrats-avoid-obama/