Leadership

There are many styles of leadership. Authoritarian people like to give orders and tell people what to do.  Decisions aren’t shared but dictated. Charismatic leaders appeal to peoples’ emotions and build a following through the force of their personality along with their message. Jimmy Swaggert was a charismatic leader.

Facilitative leaders help others to grow and develop. They give responsibility to people and then expect them to deliver. They value others and include them in the process of leadership. John Kennedy encouraged his cabinet members to give their honest opinions. He didn’t want yea-sayers. He wanted a diversity of opinions before he took responsibility for making a final decision. When the Bay of Pigs failed, he said, “ I take full responsibility for the decision to invade Cuba”. He didn’t pass the buck, though I am sure that before the invasion he had many people telling him it could work.

Facilitative leaders lead by principle. Though pragmatic, such leaders have beliefs and principles that are consistent and predictable. They are easy to work with because their followers understand their positions. Their followers feel trusted and secure. When asked why he stayed so long working for President Kennedy, Pierre Salinger, his press secretary, remarked that working for an exceptional man like Jack Kennedy was a once in a life time opportunity.

Facilitative leaders use non-degrading humor to cope with difficult situations. I remember working at a hospital where there was much dissatisfaction with the food service.  At the end of a cantankerous meeting on the subject, the lead administrator, a psychiatrist, said, “ Well, shall we go to lunch.”

Facilitative leaders are strong people, but they aren’t driven by needs to boost their own egos. They don’t need a lot of press. They know who they are. I went on a house emergency call with the same psychiatrist. A woman had overdosed, and one of the policemen in her home said, “We need to call a doctor”. In a quiet voice from the back of the room, Dr. Carmichael said, “ I’m a doctor.”