It may just be me, but it feels like a cultural and political sh*t-storm is brewing across Australia as we come out of our #COVID19 #lockdowns. A lot of that ill feeling has to do with public leadership, and how behaviours may have reverted back to wholly unproductive patterns. One minute it seems our #leaders are dropping the partisan rhetoric and working together for the greater good - sure, neither the process nor every decision is perfect, but they seem to be trying. They hear our frustrations, concerns, fears and even suggestions, and they dutifully act, keeping us informed with unprecedented regularity.
And yet, the moment the risks of the pandemic retreat, as we blink our eyes in the blinding light of economic and social survival, staggering back to our #workplaces and trying to work out what a 'new normal' looks like, many of our leaders have reloaded their weapons of ideological warfare and picked up pretty much where they'd left off.
Whilst I concede that no decision in the public sphere is ever free of #ideology, many are making up for lost time. We see this in how attitudes toward the #disadvantaged are being re-introduced into public discourse, in the obstinate refusal to consider alternative policies because they are not party aligned with what #recovery 'should' look like; we see it in the histrionic performances of our #politicians during Question Time (for those who dare to watch), and at the incomprehensible insistence on defending the indefensible.
What they don't seem to understand is that the need for effective #leadership is as important transitioning out of a crisis as it is sliding into one. You can't just drop your good leadership toys and sulk all the way home because the game is changing. And whilst it may indeed be changing, the recent resurgence in COVID19 cases suggests the game is far from over.
Leaders in all walks of life - politics, business, community, family - should understand this. If your people feel a little dazed and confused as they emerge from a crisis (especially if they are teetering on the edge of returning to it), don't jump into the next trench and abandon them, while at the same time telling them you're taking care of business. Your only business as a leader at this time is looking after your people. Don't throw away the #trust and good will you built up as you walked them through the darker times.
Don't burn that bridge only to find everyone else is still on the other side.
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