Good Leaders Aren’t The Smartest

It’s been interesting watching and listening to President Trump speak to the nation about COVID-19.  Although I hate it when he reads, frequently stumbling or pausing at the exact wrong times in his script but, I hate it more when he goes off script.  He starts making up stuff - responding to questions with answers that are just plain wrong. He just can’t accept that he doesn’t know everything. 

Good leaders know that they aren’t and shouldn’t be the smartest people in the room all the time.  I love it when leaders recognize that their ignorance on a topic is the perfect time to engage the rest of the team.  When asked a stymying question, good leaders know how to respond with, “Wow, that’s a great question and I don’t know how to answer it.  Let’s all put our heads together on this one to see if we can solve it together.“ On the other hand, insecure leaders think they have to single-handedly know all there is on everything.  Not so! In fact, this is not only truly dumb, it can be downright dangerous.  

Misinformation is dangerous, and at this time it could be deadly. Coronavirus is a serious health issue.  Sad to say, but you can’t depend on the President of the United States to convey accurate information. Trump actually stated that he didn’t need to be quarantined because he wasn’t exhibiting any symptoms, although he had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with someone who has the virus!  He continues to touch microphones before passing them to others, who are not demonstrating social distancing at all, and shake hands with everyone he meets. So, the president obviously subscribes to “do as I say, not as I do” approach to behavior management. 

We’re in trouble when the leader is neither good nor smart.

Trump may believe that he is the smartest person on the planet. You know better so act accordingly.