04.28.2014 12:46 PM

What is leadership?

It isn’t lying – and lying and lying again.  It isn’t making sexist remarks and hoping they’ll blow over.  It isn’t flip-flopping all the time.

It’s taking responsibility if you make a mistake.

That’s leadership, I think.

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11 Comments

  1. Coelocanth_Jones says:

    She also leaves a much more realistic standard of imperfect for those of us who are not a complete burn out

  2. Arnold Murphy says:

    Leadership, is a sacrificial alter, a place where one stands to bridge the gap between present and future, tugging Humanity forward how ever many he or she can at a time.

  3. sezme says:

    If posing with the Iron Sheik is what passes for an apology-worthy gaffe in the Chow camp, I’m unimpressed. Rofo has set the bar pretty high. Wait, has he ever actually apologized for anything?

    • Coelocanth_Jones says:

      Not convincingly. His attempt to squeeze out tears after the November 4th crack admission was possibly one of the most cringeworthy things I’ve ever seen a politician do

  4. Swervin' Merv says:

    As an example of a (non)apology which might serve as a model for pretend leaders, how about Susan Delacourt’s satirical tax return in Friday’s Toronto Star:

    “I regret to inform you that I no longer keep detailed historical archives, thanks to cost-cutting here at home and the fact that we live in the Internet age and a paperless society. I could maybe Google something for you. I have, however, included some unrelated information you didn’t request in this income-tax file — some old parking tickets, a first-aid certificate I earned in the summer and the letter I sent out to friends and family with the annual Christmas cards. I call this my ‘omnibus’ approach to filing income taxes: throw everything in one big envelope and get it rubber-stamped by the authorities in as little time possible.”

  5. Jack says:

    Yes, leadership requires humility and knowing when a mistake is made. Clearly Chow rises above Ford in these areas.

    But, being a mayor requires solid advisors, doing your homework and making good decisions off of available information. One has to wonder if this was a set-up by the Ford guys all along too. And yet no “leaders” within the campaign team saw any of this coming or looked into the guy?

    It does show admirable qualities of Ms. Chow but also makes one wonder about her teams attention to detail and decision making. And those are important qualities of a mayor also.

    She remains the best candidate by far. But this was an epic fail.

    • Matt says:

      All someone needed to do was read his twitter account.

    • TrueNorthist says:

      This appears to me to be a mistake made by a candidate who decided to act on her own without first fully consulting her staff. I would imagine Ms Chow is quite an independent woman, used to making her own decisions and likely bristles at being “handled”. Am I way off base here? Not that I actually expect an answer. I just do not see WK and LK making such an unforced error. Fortunately, Ms Chow is running against a serial liar and general all around reprobate gangster so the mistake will be considered peanuts in comparison. The Sheik will blow over fast enough. No damage is my prediction. Might even prove a net positive?

      • Just askin' says:

        The Iron Sheik character is a satire. The wrestler himself is a working guy who has had the horrible tragedy of seeing his daughter murdered by domestic violence and who has recovered from drug addiction. I would have liked to see Chow talk about why she chose to meet with him, rather than a backlash-influenced apology.

  6. Ben Simonton says:

    Leadership is wildly misunderstood. It is what followers follow. Followers follow or conform to the value standards reflected in what they experience.

    Most of that in a workplace comes from what the quality of what management provides to them – training, coaching, tools, direction, discipline, information, planning, and the like. Followers then use these value standards as how to do their work and treat their customers, each other, and their bosses – how industriously, respectfully, honestly, knowledgeably, openly, cooperatively. etcetera, etcetera.

    Since no one likes being told what to do and considers it disrespectful, issuing orders to employees is interpreted as disrespectful thus leading employees to treat their work, their customers, each other, and their bosses with the same level of disrespect.

    So leadership is quite simply the transmission of value standards which followers then use to do their work.

    Best regards, Ben
    Author “Leading People to be Highly Motivated and Committed”

  7. WilliamW says:

    LOL…. I thought you were talking about Justin!

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