Last week Leadership Notes highlighted the distinct value of leaders who are discerning. As mentioned then, the capacity to exercise discernment not only benefits those who lead; most importantly, it can benefit – and potentially protect – those who are impacted by one’s leadership.
Even though this topic deserves a more thorough exploration – a luxury not afforded by this venue - we conclude the overview this week by taking a look at a two-part strategy for discerning the motivation of people in leadership positions. Our focus will highlight how to exercise discernment toward those who are presently leading us, so that we can provide appropriate leadership to those settings where we ourselves are leading others.
These two methods are each equally valuable; one is objective, the other subjective:
Objective Discernment: If you are close enough to the leader and/or you have enough valid and reliable facts (the key word here is “facts”), objective discernment boils down to assessing the character of the leader. Ask yourself, “Are they honest? How do they react under pressure? What do they love most, people or money; people or power; fulfilling the organizational mission or advancing their own personal career, position, opportunities?”
Though simple, by utilizing an objective method of assessing a leader’s character, we can ascertain (discern) the outcomes that will be produced by the leader – good character will produce good consequences; bad character will not. Period.
Subjective Discernment: There is a second approach that relies more on what some may call a “sixth-sense,” or alternately a “gut instinct.” My goal here is not to name it, because we all know what this is: a sense that something is “just not right.” One of my long-time friends refers to this subjective sense somewhat humorously (but seriously) as his internal “BS Detector.” I like that.
When we are around a leader and we start to get that sense in our gut that something just isn’t quite right, we would be wise to heed the internal warning - and certainly to never ignore it. We must not make the mistake of saying to ourselves, “Other people seem OK with the leader. I guess it must just be me.” Nope. That funny feeling, that inner BS Detector, is actually a God-given early-warning system. It’s called discernment. Yes, it is subjective. Yet we only ever ignore it at our peril. Did I mention that we should never ignore it?
Combined Objective and Subjective Discernment: If the “alarm” goes off using either method, it is a good idea to simply walk away. If the alarm goes off using both methods, it’s time to run – or at least speed-walk. Because when both objective and subjective discernment kick in at the same time, it is like a submarine claxon sounding as it begins to submerge – and by analogy, the only safe action is to pick up the pace of our exit plan without excessive delay. That Boat is going down!
A final note about discernment: If we ignore either our subjective or objective discernment long enough, we will eventually lose both capacities.
As stated above, developing discernment is a high-value attribute; one that benefits those who lead - and can also potentially protect those who are impacted by those who lead them.
How would you describe discernment? Do those in leadership in your setting demonstrate this skill? What are you doing to sharpen your own discernment?