By ROBERT JUMPER
Tutiyi (Snowbird) and Clyde, N.C.
An unattributed meme on social media prompted me to write this. I think it is especially relevant in an election for the tribe. The meme talked about the signs of a weak leader, and I believe this is something we may all learn from, whether we are selecting leaders or being a leader. It is also very relevant in the day-to-day lives of all our people, whether we serve in our tribe, our specific communities, or our homes and families.
Signs of a weak leader
- They hoard information to stay in control. Real or perceived, we face a challenge with the subject and definition of transparency as a tribe. We can’t continue as a representative republic or democracy or whatever free nation we want to call ourselves if we continue to hold information away from the community that belongs to them, so that we are supposedly protected from the vaporous “they”, then we, as tribal citizens, cannot call ourselves a body politic that is by the people or for the people. Real or perceived: We, as the Principal People, have limited control because we do not receive sufficient information. Whether that is intentional or a matter of deficiencies in law is subject to debate.
- They get defensive over simple questions. Watch those in positions of power. When they are in front of you, make sure that their demeanor and words match what you have seen over a significant period, two years or more. I have personally experienced leaders who have been unnerved and put up walls when asked very simple, mundane questions. They seem to be searching for some nefarious motive for a question being asked or any request for information. When a person “in charge” bucks even the most basic, simple question, it can be a sign of weakness, or something worse.
- They feel threatened by smart, capable people. Our tribal government must focus on data management and analysis, and consulting those with subject expertise. Decisions for our tribe, particularly when it comes to profit, revenue generation, and municipal management, cannot be left to be prioritized by race, gender, or any other irrelevant criteria. Surely, we as a people should prefer, encourage, and endorse our people if they are qualified through experience and education. But when there are more qualified people, those who are smart, capable people, the needs of the community should supersede any other desire. The community should not be put on hold for services when qualified candidates exist and are willing to serve.
- They take feedback as a sign of disrespect. Beware of leaders who take constructive criticism or contrary opinions as a threat. Like asking simple questions, some leaders put up walls and shut out individuals when community members provide an idea for a different direction or might give negative feedback about a project or proposed policy. Whether a change in direction might go against the leader’s idea, or if it is an irritation that change might involve additional time and effort, leaders are prone to react instead of proact when it comes to feedback.
- They complain often but offer no real solutions. My Mother taught me when I was a young man that she wouldn’t listen to my pleas on any subject unless I had thought the subject through and was ready to provide possible solutions to my need, along with my plea. I carried that mentality into my educational life, and then my professional life. And my sweet Mom was very wise, I found, because when I took business management classes, a primary theme of the teaching was that a leader should be a solution-based manager, not a crisis-based follower. It becomes second nature when you practice it. Unfortunately, so does the tendency to whine and complain. It becomes your normal state, and nothing gets done because all the time and effort goes to complaining. When challenges come, we and our leaders need to be focused on providing answers, not complaining about the situation.
- They catch an attitude when things don’t go their way. Regardless of particular religion, most agree that the Holy Bible, the Old Testament book of Proverbs, contains some of the wisest instructions written by mankind. The book is attributed to Jewish kings, one of whom was Solomon, who is thought of by some to have been the wisest man on earth. In Proverbs 16:18, there is a very familiar verse to those who have studied the scriptures in even a cursory manner. It goes like this, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” It is one thing to take pride or ownership in our work. We should be giving our best to any activity. And when we stumble or a project goes in a direction that we didn’t intend, we should still own it, be humble in spirit, and look for ways to correct and improve. Weak leadership stomps its feet, holds its breath, and lays blame on others when people or projects don’t go their way.
- They avoid coaching strong performers out of insecurity. Many of us on the Qualla Boundary understand this as a “crabs in a bucket” mentality. We have talked about it before. It’s that tendency to hoard power to the point of damaging a person or project, or community, simply because of concerns that it might make the leader look bad and potentially expose some incompetence. We, at the One Feather, share in all the duties and responsibilities of this media outlet. We don’t just talk about cross-training. It is how we do business. We all have different gifts, and we leverage our uniqueness for the betterment of the newspaper and our community. Ego has no place at the Cherokee One Feather. And because we all feel that our mission belongs to all, not just one of us, the newspaper has grown in popularity exponentially. I believe that the strongest thing a leader can do for their team, their organization, and the community is to realize that the best leaders are best at serving and supplying the needs of the team. Spock’s words (Spock of Star Trek fame) are not lost on the team at the One Feather: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one”. Leaders would do well to apply those words to their leadership philosophy.
- They shut down innovation unless it’s their idea. Like shutting down innovative, strong performers, throwing out innovative ideas and projects just because they weren’t the creators, is a recipe for disaster and to the detriment of our community. I was once under the supervision of a person who would reject out of hand any recommendation I made to them. I recognized this behavior, so when, for example, selecting a firm for our program to work with, I would simply downplay the firm that I thought would best serve our needs. Like clockwork, my supervisor would select that firm. It would never fail. If I crafted my pitch to this supervisor so that the supervisor looked like the person who came up with the idea, they were sure to move forward with the idea. If I didn’t approach that supervisor in that way, they were sure to kill the idea, even though it was a sure-fire win for the program and probably the community. Sometimes weakness shows itself in a closed mind.
It just so happens that we are in a season of election of our tribal leadership. And this is not a commentary on whether I think anyone, or any group, is either weak or strong in their leadership mindset. I hope that in reading this, you get a sense of how important your decisions are in the selection of leadership and that you take the time and effort due to any significant, life-changing activity in your life. For you and for your people, choose strong leadership and know the difference between strong leaders and weak ones.
