First, I want to offer many thanks to Aleksander Velkoski for stopping by my site and leaving a comment on my last post. In return, I visited his own fine leadership-oriented site. I found excellent material and I was particularly impressed by a video of Peter Schiff that I, like Aleksander, have decided to embed. Schiff is President and Chief Global Strategist for Euro Pacific Capital and accurately predicted the economic problems in the United States that we are now facing. Aleksander makes the point that Schiff is a strong example of leadership and particularly of emotional intelligence in his reactions to his detractors. I agree, and the video seems to fit perfectly with some of what I entered on my last entries about defensiveness and “straw for the fire.” Please take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0QN-FYkpw&feature=player_embedded
Now, it would be all too easy for us to idolize Schiff. We all want to have foresight of this sort, and the confidence to back it up when faced with adverse opinion. But there are more lessons, I believe, in the video than that. I look at the behavior of the other commentators and I see how they literally laugh in Schiff’s face. This is certainly a defensive posture that looks just plain weird in light of what has actually come to pass. Nevertheless, it is altogether too easy to distance oneself from those who are wrong and identify with the one who ends up right.
In this sense, I’m thinking that the video is a mirror. Let’s say I contain the instincts of the other commentators. Let’s say I see the video, see myself participating in the laughter at Peter. The real leadership question, which is far more telling than “how do I become more like Peter,” is “how do I deal with my embarrassing lack of both business and interpersonal acumen?” It’s one thing to say, “Well, you know, I screwed up on the analysis.” It’s quite another to say, “Yes, and then I savaged somebody else in order to protect my vantage point and ego.”
It seems to me that the real leadership questions are on the side of those who must face this uncomfortable music. Can they — can I? — can anybody? — do that facing well? How would I feel today if I looked back and saw this video, saw me saying with a straight face that people should buy Washington Mutual stock? Saw me ganging up on somebody who held a different perspective. Some, who have the capacity to laugh at themselves may surely regain some ground in their apology to themselves and others for screwing up. But all too often, and this is the problem with defensiveness, we do just go on defending, go on and on, too afraid to feel the actual emotions that are there; the sense, for example, of humiliation.
I think the real leaders here, in addition to Peter, are the ones who are honest, who accept and honor in a meaningful way their mistakes. Not just the mistake in technical or business acumen, but also the mistake in relationship. Under such circumstances, it really must be Self at work, rather than self. To see that, I believe, and to act on that with sincerity, is also one way to define what it means to lead.
Dan, thank you for your kind words. You continue to provide excellent insight into the leadership process. I like the point that you made about how individuals shouldn’t just look at this video and ask themselves, “how can I be more like Peter?” It would be a grave mistake to do so. Rather, look into the lessons of Peter’s actions and behaviors as a leader. You can’t, and shouldn’t, change who you are to be more like someone else. You are a unique individual, a unique leader, whom has a lot to offer the leadership process. But, you can refine your skills so that you continually improve.