LEADERS WAKE UP!
I think that we, as a country, talk about leadership so often that I feel the term has lost value. It is just a commonly used term for a group of people at the top of the employment hierarchy or in government office, which is okay. People hear the term and say “oh, those people,” as if it were some other species of human. I believe that when the term is used, it almost invokes disdain or mistrust.
In my view, the problem is that there are too many examples of poor leadership. Poor leadership is on display every single day. We learn about it through the media, social media, and daily interactions at work or school, or we encounter individuals with poor leadership skills. As the saying goes – bad news travels fast, and as such, it is always prominent because that’s human nature. As humans, we are drawn to bad news; we focus on negativity, and for some of us, we can’t wait to discuss or gossip about negative things. Researchers Newberg and Waldman hypothesized that anyone placed under an MRI scanner, with the simple word NO flashed for one second, will display neural changes in their brain, releasing dozens of stress hormones and neurotransmitters (2012). There have been multiple theories that this reaction may also be part of inherited memory from ancestral times, as a method of self-protection against threats to increase our survival. While that may not completely explain why we are attracted to negativity, it does tell us one thing: we will pay attention to it.
Consider this: entrepreneur Dan Price decided to pay all his staff an annual salary of $70k. It piqued a lot of people’s attention because some people replying to the article questioned why he would do that. Crazy right? Why would an employer want to pay all his staff a livable wage, so they could buy food for their families, pay rent, have reliable transportation, and have mental stability free from the stress of not being able to cover their bills? Many people thought the business owner would go out of business; others thought he would be unable to continue paying his staff. However, the business remained successful, employee morale was high, and everyone was happy. For all his great leadership skills and proven record, it was a story in the media for a day or so. That’s it. That’s all the time he received. Some people remember the story but still doubt the decision.
In contrast, Vishal Garg has shown poor leadership. I do not want to go into his story in detail, as it has been discussed enough, but Mr. Garg is the most recent example of poor leadership. Though his activities happened a couple of years ago, he is still a popular topic. As the former CEO of Better.com (he stepped down in late 2021), Mr. Garg’s most notorious behavior was on display when a video of him berating employees he was laying off during a video conference call was leaked. This was followed by leaked emails in which Mr. Garg's berated his investors. Can you imagine investing your money in his company and seeing this kind of disrespect? Like a burning house or a horrible car accident, readers flock to web pages and social media outlets to read about the latest developments involving Better.com and Mr. Garg.
I don’t know about you, but I choose not to watch a burning house or gawk at a car accident scene. I want to hear more stories like Mr. Price's because that is what we need more of. Positivity. We need more examples of great leadership, especially in mainstream media. Not only historical figures who are no longer with us, but also current examples that consistently demonstrate good leadership. We must promote more examples of great leadership because it encourages people to view their lives differently. Positive examples show people what is possible, and being good can feel good. I am pretty sure the brain will produce neural changes in response to hormones that make us feel better.
It can start with you. There are thousands of articles online that provide examples of great leadership. Let’s use our phones for something other than tweeting and get started on being better examples of leadership. Time to wake up, leaders!
By Nick Higgins
