The Ineffective Leader

As First Responders, we are all leaders, and we must be held to a higher standard. We must build trust, be proactive, and be flexible and creative. We must be confident, inspire confidence, always be ready to lead, and trust our training and instincts. Good leadership is about courage, passion, commitment, and ambition. To be the best leader, we must serve instead of being served.

Leadership is not about the leader; it is about the people the leader encircles themselves with. Leadership is an act of building trust so that people will follow you. Leaders must ask themselves, does the team I lead see me as real? As deserving of trust? As dependable and credible?

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Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.
Titus 1:7 NIV

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The Failure of Leadership Among First Responders

Unfortunately, over the last few decades, First Responders have had to work for and with ineffective leaders and poor leadership practices. The “WOKE” and the “Cancel Culture” have exposed many leaders who claimed to be “strong” but who gave in to those who want to destroy this nation’s institutions. By bowing to the WOKE and Cancel Culture, these leaders have failed their organizations, communities, and themselves.

Leadership in these occupations has a “dark side.” Many publications have cast leaders as people who abuse their power, are corrupt, and discard their responsibilities. Among their subordinates, they are not considered “real” leaders even though they hold the position. Despite a half-century of research, the publication of more than 15,000 books and journal articles, and annual “leadership development” expenditures of over $50 billion, many organizations are considered to lack effective leadership.^[1]

The dark side of leadership is defined as “an ongoing pattern of behavior exhibited by a leader that results in overall negative organizational outcomes based on the interactions between the leader, follower and the environment,” according to a 2009 report published by leadership coaching consultant Semann & Slattery.^[2] The dark side of leadership can be traced back to the beginning of civilization. Many researchers have labeled the dark side of leadership as destructive, harmful, evil, abusive, and toxic.

Some have been appointed or anointed into a leadership position. Even though they are viewed positively, they make poor decisions and are counter-productive, failing to live up to their job’s responsibility.

There may be many reasons why there is ineffective leadership. Many departments and agencies often fail to recognize those who have strong leadership qualities. They tend to base promotions on written and oral examinations measuring the comprehension of rules and regulations. In some departments and agencies, promotions are based on popularity and book smarts. That, along with the politicking for promotion, leads to ineffective leadership.

Furthermore, popular vernacular included the idea of the “Peter principle”—that employees rose to their highest level of incompetence.^[3] The limit or lack of abilities and skills is often only found after the individual has been promoted to a leadership position.

People with narcissistic character are frequently named leaders; however, they will be uncovered by their co-workers after some time. Their subordinates regularly dismiss selfish leaders on account of their egotism and overbearing attitude.

These personal characteristics can lead to corruption, abuse of power, and a toxic work environment. Leaders who are incompetent have a cautionary approach to organizational growth and fail to deliver on creating positive change. Incompetent leaders do the least damage. However, over the long term, significant damage may result from the inertia built within an organization where it cannot respond adequately or effectively to external forces, or from ill-executed strategies.^[4]

The Abuse of Leadership Power

In many organizations, the promotion process can be very competitive. Many will abuse any power they have to influence their superiors. Since bad leadership starts at the top, the toxic environment of power abuse would be prevalent in agencies and departments that ignore that type of activity.

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“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.”
Lord John Dalberg-Acton

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The abuse of power is very damaging to the agency. It lowers morale and productivity and causes stress-related illnesses and frequent absenteeism. Leaders who abuse their power promote their self-interest at others’ expense and are usually struggling in their leadership role.

Abuse of authority thrives in a culture of fear, confusion, control, and exclusion. Poor leaders use their power in self-serving ways, not thinking about what is best for the organization. Many abusive leaders will use their power to receive favors from or to manipulate their subordinates. Bad leaders like to be served; they prey on the naïve and vulnerable, staying away from those who can think for themselves. They demand absolute loyalty and attack the credibility of those who don’t drink the “Kool-Aid.”

Abusive leaders use people as stepping stones to satisfy their agenda, and they use anger and rage to intimidate their subordinates; they are narcissistic, self-gratifying, control freaks.

God warns leaders who are abusive, selfish, and destructive. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 23:1-4 (NIV)

23 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

And in Ezekiel 34:1-10 (NIV)

34 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

7 ” ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

“Effective leaders understand that the main reason why they have been entrusted with influence is to facilitate growth and maturity in the lives of those under their care.”^[5]

As First Responders, we took an oath to protect good and fight evil. Many have lost track of those priorities and have put the job first. If you are experiencing a lower than usual sense of self-worth, depression or misplaced guilt, inability to remember or talk about trauma specifically, feeling numb emotionally, dissociation (not aware of the present moment), a feeling of disconnection from your everyday life, feeling hyper-aroused and vigilant for danger all the time, lashing out in irritability or unexplained anger, feeling jittery, or unable to concentrate on tasks at hand or other anxiety disorders, such as panic or intense distress, talk to someone and get help. Get back to the basics, Put God First, Family Second, and the job further down in the order.

IF YOU HAVE THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE GET HELP NOW

Law Enforcement Copline (800) 267-5463

Firefighters / Medics Fire/EMS HELPLINE (800) 731-FIRE (3473)

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• Burke, R. J. (2006). Why leaders fail: Exploring the dark side. In R. J. Burke & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Inspiring leaders (pp. 237−246). London: Routledge. ↑

• The Dark Side of Leadership “Troubling Times at the Top.” Retrieved from http://www.conference.co.nz/files/docs/darksideofleadership2.pdf ↑

• Peter, L. J., & Hull, R. (1969). The Peter principle. New York: William Morrow. ↑

• Kellerman, B. (2004). Bad Leadership: what it is, how it happens, why it matters Boston: Harvard Business School Press, accessed 02/02/2021 ↑

• Joseph Mattera, “Twelve Signs of Abusive Leadership,” accessed 02/08/2022, https://josephmattera.org/12-signs-abusive-leadership/ ↑