[August 15, 2016] Yes, even when you’re no longer in the position of leadership, you’re still a leader. When you do stupid things, decide to quit being a leader, or retire … you’re still a leader. Leadership is not about position, status, or personal decisions because it’s all about the ability to influence people to do things they would not ordinarily do.
A good example of this is our past U.S. president Bill Clinton. He no longer holds any leadership position and has publically stated that he desires to no longer will be in a position that requires him to be paid or have responsibilities. Yet, undoubtedly, he is a leader with great influence not just because he was a U.S. president but because he has the personal skills, abilities, and key characteristics of leadership to influence.
Earlier this week Bill Clinton stated, in reference his wife’s email scandal, that the FBI Director is serving up “the biggest load of bull I’ve ever heard.”1 He went on to say that it’s inconceivable his wife Hillary was threatening national security. As a leader, Clinton’s statements to the press about the FBI have the unintended consequence of degrading law enforcement authority in general and the FBI’s mission specifically.
A number of violent and nonviolent movements have sprung up in the United States that target local police officers in a variety of ways; all of which use senior leader comments such as Bill Clinton’s recent comments about the FBI as justification for their actions. Leaders must exercise considerable care in the words they use, else they will be misinterpreted or, in the case of Bill Clinton and others, they will be used to justify violence. City officials in Baltimore, Maryland are especially good examples of how leader words can encourage violence.
In today’s modern environment where words travel at the speed of Twitter and Facebook, it’s a duty and moral obligation that leaders do the right thing when they speak or write. Inflammatory comments, vague or unclear statements, and demagoguery do not a good leader make. The lesson for leaders is unambiguous.
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