Leadership’s Bias for Action

By

Dr. Alfred M. Coke

Leadership is more visible in times of crisis, less in routine situations. Immediately after a large scale incident the market is flooded with books detailing examples of those who rise to the occasion. Following 9/11 books about our current heroes and heroines abound. Each tells a story of emerging leadership. All are read with enthusiasm by an adoring public searching for the grain of truth, the kernel of wisdom, or the essence of the fame that separates the hero or heroine from the everyday citizen.

Three examples are used to explain how a bias for action can lead to visible leadership.

Prior to a crisis the future heroic figure may not be seen in a favorable light. Mayor Giuliani of New York City was viewed with distain by a large segment of his constituents before the attack on the World Trade Center. He was under constant attack.

The leader may be one of a crowd of many, flowing with the mass of everyday commonality. This person has not yet been thrust into a situation where true leadership stands out. Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor/Fitzgerald, was a business man trying to succeed in the fast break financial world of New York when he lost 658 employees in the second tower collapse.

Sometimes circumstances propel a person into the limelight. This is the case of Jessica Lynch, an unknown enlisted person in the rank and file of the US Army. Had her military convoy not made a wrong turn she would have probably remained known only to her immediate circle of family and friends.

What common theme stands out in these three examples?

Sir Rudy Giuliani will be remembered for his calm, poised demeanor during the days following the collapse of the Trade Center towers. He didn’t wring his hands in helplessness. He stepped to the microphone, took charge, and stated what had to be done. For his actions he was knighted. His bias for action was deliberate and determined.

Howard Lutnick’s promise made on national television to look after his people has been accomplished and then some. His courageous comeback from the ashes to rebuild his company and honor its six hundred plus dead is unparalleled in a corporate setting. His bias for action was to fulfill a commitment.

Jessica Lynch didn’t ask to become a heroine but we made her one. She works hard to dispel the myths about her circumstances. This makes her even more real. Her leadership was not demonstrated while leading a bayonet charge against an entrenched enemy or fighting a last stand on a hilltop. She will forever remain a heroine with her words “I am a soldier too”! Her bias for action was the will to survive.

In Summary

What is common in the three cases is that each individual took action to survive, to fight back, and to overcome against overwhelming conditions. That’s the stuff that changes the everyday citizen into a legend.