15 INDISPOSITION OF LEADERSHIP

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The leadership team is called constantly to improve and to grow in rapport and wisdom, in order to carry out fully its mission. And yet, like anybody, like any human body, it is also exposed to indisposition, malfunctioning, and infirmity. Here I would like to mention some of these “Leadership indispositions”. They are indisposition and temptations which can dangerously weaken the effectiveness of any organisation.

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1. Excessive Ornate

It is found in those who immerse themselves in work and inevitably neglect to “rest a while.” Neglecting needed rest leads to stress and agitation. A time of rest, for those who have completed their work, is necessary, obligatory and should be taken seriously: by spending time with one‟s family and respecting holidays as moments for recharging.

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2. Indifference to others

his is where each leader thinks only of himself or herself, and loses the sincerity and warmth of genuine human relationships. This can happen in many ways: When the most knowledgeable person does not put that knowledge at the service of less knowledgeable colleagues, when you learn something and then keep it to yourself rather than sharing it in a helpful way with others; when out of jealousy or deceit you take joy in seeing others fall instead of helping them up and encouraging them.

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3. Excessive planning and off functionalism

When a leader plans everything down to the last detail and believes that with perfect planning things will fall into place, he or she becomes an accountant or an office manager. Things need to be prepared well, but without ever falling into the temptation of trying to eliminate spontaneity and serendipity, which is always more flexible than any human planning. We contract this indisposition because it is easy and comfortable to settle in our own sedentary and unchanging ways.

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4. Poor coordination 

Once leaders lose a sense of community among themselves, the body loses its harmonious functioning and its equilibrium; it then becomes an orchestra that produces noise: its members do not work together and lose the spirit of camaraderie and teamwork. When the foot says to the arm: I don’t need you, or the hand says to the head, I’m in charge, they create discomfort and parochialism.

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5. A sort of “leadership Alzheimer’s disease”

 It consists in losing the memory of those who nurtured, mentored and supported us in our own journeys. We see this in those who have lost the memory of their encounters with the great leaders who inspired them; in those who are completely caught up in the present moment, in their passions, whims and obsessions; in those who build walls and routines around themselves, and thus become more and more the slaves of idols carved by their own hands.

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6. Mental and Emotional “Petrification”

It is found in leaders who have a heart of stone, the “stiff-necked;” in those who in the course of time lose their interior serenity, alertness and daring, and hide under a pile of papers, turning into paper pushers and not men and women of compassion. It is dangerous to lose the human sensitivity that enables us to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice! Because as time goes on, our hearts grow hard and become incapable of loving all those around us. Being a humane leader means having the sentiments of humility and unselfishness, of detachment and generosity.

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7. Rivalry and vainglory

When appearances, our perks and our titles become the primary object in life, we forget our fundamental duty as leaders—to “do nothing from selfishness or conceit but in humility count others better than ourselves.” As leaders, we must look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others.

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8. Existential schizophrenia

A common in the corporate world –  this disease exists in many people lives a double life, the fruit of that hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and of a progressive emotional emptiness which no accomplishment or title can fill. It is a disease which often strikes those who are no longer directly in touch with customers and “ordinary” employees, and restrict themselves to bureaucratic matters, thus losing contact with reality, with concrete people.

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9. Gossiping, Grumbling & back-biting

A threat to individual growth in personal and professional life. This is again very common thing, but a creates a grave character within which begins normally perhaps even in small talk, and takes over a person, making him become a “sower of weeds” and in many cases, a cold-blooded killer of the good name of Colleagues. It is the indisposition of cowardly persons who lack the courage to speak out directly but instead speak behind other people’s. Let us be on our guard against the terrorism of gossip!

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10. Closed circles

A clique becomes more powerful than our shared identity. This indisposition to always begins with good intentions, but with the passing of time it enslaves its members and becomes cancer which threatens the harmony of the organisational culture and causes immense evil, especially to those we treat as outsiders. “Friendly fire” from our fellow soldiers, is the most insidious danger. It is the evil which strikes from within.

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11. Venerate superiors

This is not just the indisposition of those who court their superiors in the hope of gaining their favour. They are victims of careerism and opportunism; they honour persons rather than the larger mission of the organisational development and growth. They think only of what they can get and not of what they should give; small-minded persons, unhappy and inspired only by their own lethal selfishness. Superiors themselves can be affected by this disease when they try to obtain the submission, loyalty and psychological dependency of their subordinates, but the end result is unhealthy complicity.

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12. A Downcast Face

Are you a downcast face? Always remember early days of your career, how much obstacles you faced to reach this level. You see this indisposition in those glum and dour persons who think that to be serious you have to put on a face of melancholy and severity and treat others—especially those we consider our inferiors—with rigour, brusqueness and arrogance. In fact, a show of severity and sterile pessimism are frequently symptoms of fear and insecurity. A leader must make an effort to be courteous, serene, enthusiastic and joyful, a person who transmits joy everywhere he goes. A happy heart radiates an infectious joy: it is immediately evident! So a leader should never lose that joyful, humorous and even self-deprecating spirit which makes people amiable even in difficult situations. How beneficial is a good dose of humour! …

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13. Hoarding

This occurs when a leader tries to fill an existential void in his or her heart by accumulating material goods, not out of need but only in order to feel secure. The fact is that we are not able to bring material goods with us when we leave this life, since “the winding sheet does not have pockets” and all our treasures will never be able to fill that void; instead, they will only make it deeper and more demanding. Accumulating goods only burdens and inexorably slows down the journey!

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14. Profligate and self-exhibition

This happens when a leader turns his or her service into power and uses that power for material gain, or to acquire even greater power. This is the indisposition of persons, who insatiably try to accumulate power and to this end are ready to slander, defame and discredit others; who put themselves on display to show that they are more capable than others. This indisposition does great harm because it leads people to justify the use of any means whatsoever to attain their goal, often in the name of justice and transparency! Here I remember a leader who used to call journalists to tell and invent private and confidential matters involving his colleagues. The only thing he was concerned about was being able to see him/her on the front page since this made him feel powerful and glamorous while causing great harm to others and to the organisation.

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15- The disease of thinking we are immortal, immune, or downright indispensable

Neglecting the need for regular check-ups. A leadership team which is not self-critical, which does not keep up with things, which does not seek to be more fit, is a sick body. It is the pathology of power and comes from a superiority complex, from a narcissism which passionately gazes at its own image and does not see the face of others, especially the weakest and those most in need. The antidote to this plague is humility; to say heartily, “I am merely a servant. I have only done what was my duty.”

These indispositions are a danger for every leader and every organisation, and they can strike at the individual and the community levels. So, are you a healthy leader? Ask yourself, on a scale of 1 to 5, to what extent do I?

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