Situational Leadership and Missed Opportunity

We can elect a commander or manager, but they are not a leader until their appointment is ratified in the hearts and minds of those working under them and by those who voted to put them in office. Sometimes it is a situation or crisis where leaders are made. Prior to 9/11, Rudy Giuliani was being run out of New York on a rail. Instead, the terrorist attacks presented him with a golden opportunity to lead. He responded with courage, conviction and quick action, while simultaneously resurrecting his political career.

Like many leaders who lack the innate ability to lead, Sonny Perdue, the Governor of Georgia, is squandering a golden opportunity to take bold action and guide his state through crisis. Georgia’s drought and ongoing water wars with Alabama, Florida and now Tennessee have presented Gov. Perdue with incredible opportunities to lead his citizenry and create a legacy for him and the state of Georgia.

Instead, Gov. Perdue is giving us a lesson in failed leadership and the qualities it takes to effectively lead in times of crisis. Although there are many qualities for effective leadership, I want to highlight four qualities were our head of state is lacking:

1. Curiosity: The world is a big, complicated and inter-connected place. Effective leaders learn to seek the ideas of others outside their inner circle. Failing to listen and share ideas with others is a sign of arrogance and/or apathy. Gov. Perdue must be willing to step outside of his comfort zone in addressing Georgia’s water conservancy issues for the long-haul.

2. Creativity: I leader must be willing to go out on a limb and do something different. I will agree that praying for rain on the State Capital stairs is different, but it may lack the long term factual resolution needed to solve our need for water planning and conservancy.

3. Communication: Ineffective leaders tend to communicate in sound bites or not at all. If in a time of crisis, a leader spends their time convincing us that things aren’t as bad as they seem, then there is a problem. Gov. Perdue, not unlike many current political leaders, struggles in facing reality and telling the truth about the effects of our states growth, lack of civil planning, and lack of sufficient resources for effective water management. The end result is an inability to develop and present a reasonable solution.

4. Competence: In order to lead, you must know what you are doing, and more importantly, surround yourself with people who know what they are doing. A leader has to be a problem solver and Gov. Perdue’s initiative to make Georgia a great “Fishing State,” does not begin to scratch the surface of needs in the state of Georgia.