In an interview with the Washington Post, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan talked about how the Republican Party has changed since his time in office. “We were leading on principles and policy outcomes. This Congress is led by politics. It’s a zero-sum game with no positive outcomes or win-win,” he said. “If the animating principle of the party revolves around the personality of a man, this is the outcome you’re gonna get: policy-makers leaving, replaced by entertainers and performers, not problem-solvers.”
Of course, he was speaking about national politics, but the same principle applies to organizations. The organization as a whole takes on the characteristics of its leader, and those working for the person need to be in sync or prepared to struggle due to a misalignment of styles or values.
Even if you’re many layers removed from the person at the top, look closely at them before committing to an organization. Their ethics, temperament, and priorities will filter down to you one way or another and infuse themselves in hiring and budget decisions that will ultimately impact your work environment. Best to know their principles and policies more than just their personality.
Source: Paul Ryan: The Stakes, Washington Post Live series, February 21, 2024.
Perhaps the analogy of a republican-style government fails for some part of this discussion, but it is not unlike publicly-traded companies where share-holders may determine that “the person at the top” is not providing the desired outcomes. One reason Mr Ryan is no longer speaker is that a majority of Republicans felt he saw himself as “the person at the top”, and for that he was replaced. In a republic such as ours, even bold personalities in high government positions are NOT “the top”, as we all appreciate from our founding documents, it is “we the people” who are intended to make the tough decisions. We do this through representatives, and “we the people” can hire and fire them as needed to assure that our concerns for the nation are met. To that point, as the dot indicates, knowing the principles and policies of our leaders is very important, since personalities and entertainment could too easily turn people away from the leaders they need despite the principles they actively support.