Leadership, Tiger Hunting, and Memorial Day
Greetings.
A thought about current leadership and heroism on this Memorial Day, a day dedicated to those who could never return to their homes, could never take another breath and a day symbolized by the poppy, so often the first flower to regrow on battle ravaged fields and so to offer renewed evidence of life’s force.
I have struggled and watched and listened as other people have struggled to make sense of the 1/6/21 and the attack on the US Capitol. There’s so much there to take in and to understand, including about leadership. Along the way, I have found myself reflecting on, of all things, a moment from my Masters study at the London School of Economics.
Baroness Seear was one of my instructors and one of my favorite people ever. She was a leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords, perhaps about as marginal a national leadership position as one might have, but she had it (along with various other notable roles in the course of her life) and as they might say in Brooklyn or Philly, ‘she mixed it up pretty good’.
She arranged meetings for me with a massive British firm to facilitate my research for a Masters dissertation. Upon my return from one site visit, she requested an update. She turned the conversation to one meeting in particular. She asked my impression of a person and I opined in my best descriptive, non-evaluative, Yale organizational behavior Ph.D. trained fashion. She grew impatient and began rocking characteristically in her seat. She then asked me pointedly and with vigor, “Mr. Shea, would you or would you not take him tiger hunting with you?” After a moment of thought, I responded, “No. I would not.” Lady Seear immediately pronounced judgement, “That, Mr. Shea, is the correct answer.”
Ever since, I’ve treasured that question as the litmus test for any of us. I preached to our kids that there are not many such people, people both competent and trustworthy and hence people with whom you can entrust your well-being. Such people, people whom you would take tiger hunting are rare and to be treasured. One would also do well to stay current as to their whereabouts.
I have attended to various examinations of 1/6/21 and watched lots of video. One person stands out clearly as a tiger hunting companion: Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, a sergeant in the 101st Airborne in Iraq and a combat veteran . He whisks Senator Romney to safety and then returns promptly to the fray. His wits clearly about him, he then leads the mob away from legislators hiding in chambers. He does so at his own peril.
I’d suggest that would-be followers know when they are in the presence of tiger hunting leaders and when they are not. The difference in the relationship comes down not just to compliance or inspiration. It comes down to participating fully and reciprocally in the leader:follower relationship or not. It comes down to moments we have seen and what we expect that we will see should a moment come down to who you are. It’s not just a leadership moment; it’s a personal moment that comes to define the leader:follower relationship.
The pandemic and the social roiling of the last year and a half have provided many such moments. More are on the way as we stutter our way toward what comes next. Values never mattered more. People are on the watch for tiger hunters. May you find a few. May you find yourself to be one.
An article I wrote in July to spark further thought...
Hard Times, Shared Sense-making and Personal Myths