Leadership is not just about being in charge, issuing commands and telling people what to do, that’s really just management.
Leadership is about providing a vision, direction, taking a stand and speaking up against injustices and things that you know in your heart are not true, and doing so even when this may be negatively received.
Leadership is not about keeping quiet so that you don’t get in trouble. Leadership is not about keeping your head down in difficult times and hoping that go back to normal quickly.
One of my favourite quotes comes from Einstein touches on the very heart of this.
Real leaders don’t just look on when they see trouble they speak up, they take stand and they are prepared to take action.
With the events that we have seen in Charlottesville I have been disheartened by many who had said little, or who have tried to play this down and hope that it will go away.
It won’t and it won’t if people just close their eyes to it and do nothing.
Real leaders, like the Joint Chiefs of Staff stand up and speak out, they give clear views, they make their opinions known.
The acts that happened in Virginia were racist, hate filled and have no part in any country, and they should be denounced by all decent people. That’s what real leaders do.
If you don’t speak up then you are condoning it.
There are only two options here condemn it or condone it.
There is no middle ground here. Silence isn’t a valid third option here, saying there is blame on both sides isn’t a valid argument. You either condemn or condone it, and if you’re not condemning it then as far as everyone is concerned then you’re condoning it.
I appreciate that your boss may have a different view, I appreciate that it takes courage and bravery to stand up and speak out, but we have to either condemn or condone it, silence isn’t an option.
Personally I condemn it.