avoiding difficult questions

Let me begin by defining difficult questions.  I am not talking about those questions that attack one's integrity or demand the sharing of personal or sensitive information; what I am talking about is those questions which wonder about the very existence of the status quo or to which there is no simple or quickly arrived at answer.  These are the existential questions which take time, energy, emotion, and giving-up-of-self to answer...these are the strategic questions which often means considering a new solution to an ongoing problem...these are the ethical questions which can make one rethink how they see the world and their own position in that world...and these are the personal questions which almost everyone wrestles with in the dark of the night.  Given that these type of questions will stretch and even hurt, there should be little wonder as to why they are often avoided by people, groups, and organizations.

So what can leaders do to keep from avoiding difficult questions?  Here are a few thoughts:

• lack of time: when boards, committees, and other various types of groups only meet every month or every quarter (and often even less), there is barely time to get through the agenda at hand.  Leaders should be sure to not only find time to bring these groups together more often, they should meticulously control the agenda to ensure that difficult questions are addressed and discussed
• lack of imagination: having lived in a system for a lifetime, there is little wonder that to imagine a different scenario is not only difficult, it may actually prove impossible.  Leaders can help groups develop this capacity by engaging with generative thinking questions on every agenda and by bringing in outside expertise to help others see and consider a different future
• lack of will: taking on difficult questions and trying to solve them may mean that everything changes and the future will never be the same.  Leaders should consistently be doing the things that show their groups and organizations that execution of the perceived impossibility can be accomplished and, that in the long run, these new paradigms create a better reality
• lack of right people: boards, committees, and teams are often populated with the people who have the most investment in the current system (mostly because they are the ones who care most deeply about the organization).  Leaders must be looking for new blood to bring to the table, focusing not only on specific skills and abilities, but also on new perspectives from an outsider's view
• lack of leadership: whether this be the CEO of the organization or the chair of the board, this deficiency can be quickly identified if this person is not consistently challenging the status quo and bringing new ideas to the group regularly.  Leaders (positional or not), when spotting this, should do all they can to find new leadership as quickly as possible, putting in place those people who will embrace the difficult questions and bring to bear the time, imagination, will, and right people to answer those questions

Leaders are faced with difficult questions on a regular basis, whether they are being asked directly by others or are considering them in their own minds.  Avoiding these questions merely "kicks the can down the road" with the problem continuing to exist and still being talked about the next time the group meets (or worse yet, the problems will NOT be talked about because individuals and groups are afraid to face them).  Leaders can regularly take a quick inventory of how often they and their groups are taking on difficult questions and, if the number is shrinking, shift their thinking and action to once more embrace difficult questions as a part of their regular work.

leadership is a precious thing

In a Board meeting I was attending yesterday afternoon, the chair of our board noted that "leadership is a precious thing," said in reference to our newest Executive Director and the great work that he has done in a very short time.  The phrase struck me as very important for boards, for organizations, and for leaders themselves.  Having watched many groups struggle under weak leadership and others thrive under strong leadership, I had to agree with my board chair that, indeed, leadership is a precious thing.

So if leadership is a precious thing, how might both leaders and organizations think about it in that way?  Here are a few thoughts for  this morning:

• If leadership is precious, it must be treated with care: precious items are often those that no one wants to have lost or broken, so special attention is placed upon them.  Leaders need to take care of themselves so that they are available to their organizations and organizations need to take care of their leaders so that they remain in place over time and lead well
• If leadership is precious, it should have value: precious items carry a certain value, whether monetary or sentimental.  Leaders need to be adding value to their organization and organizations need to let their leaders know what value they actually do add to the organization
• If leadership is precious and valuable, that value should increase over time: just as precious items often increase in value, one's leadership value should also be increasing through added knowledge and experience.  Organizations need to invest in their leader's growth and remunerate them properly for that growth
• If leadership is precious, it should be regularly on display: precious items are often on display for others (friends or the public at large) to see and enjoy them.  Leaders should be out and about, interacting with those they lead and organization members should seek engagement with their leaders and derive value from those interactions
• If leadership is precious, it should be evaluated from time to time: just as precious items are often taken to an appraiser for valuation, so leaders must also be evaluated by an outside observer through the use of a coach or consultant.  Organizations should insist that regular evaluation is done of the leadership and that those results are shared in a meaningful manner
• If leadership is precious, it should be passed on to the next generation: precious items are accounted for over time through one's estate planning.  Leaders need to put in place a succession plan so that good leadership can continue over time and organizations should develop a culture of caring for their leadership so that new leaders can quickly assimilate and begin to function in their roles

As leaders treat themselves (and their responsibilities) with a sense of care and concern - and as organizations develop a culture where leadership is handled carefully and treated with honor - the idea that "leadership is a precious thing" will allow for individuals and organizations to grow, flourish, and become all for which they were created.