Ultimately, a leader’s ability to galvanize his or her co-workers
resides both in self understanding and in understanding the co-
workers’ needs and wants, along with understanding of what
Hesselbein has called their mission. In such leaders, competence,
vision, and virtue exist in nearly perfect balance. Competence, or
knowledge, without vision and virtue, breeds technocrats. Virtue,
without vision and knowledge, breeds ideologues. Vision, with-
out virtue and knowledge, breeds demagogues.
As Peter Drucker has pointed out, the chief object of leader-
ship is the creation of a human community held together by
the work bond for a common purpose. Organizations and their
leaders inevitably deal with human nature, which is why values,
commitments, convictions, even passions are basic elements in
any organization. Since leaders deal with people, not things,
leadership without values, commitment, and conviction can
only be inhumane and harmful.
Especially today, in the current volatile climate, it is vital
that leaders steer a clear and consistent course. They must ac-
knowledge uncertainties and deal effectively with the present,
while simultaneously anticipating and responding to the future.
This means endlessly expressing, explaining, extending, ex-
panding, and when necessary revising the organization’s mis-
sion. The goals are not ends, but ideal processes by which the
future can be created.
INTEGRITY IS THE BASIS OF TRUST
A major challenge that all leaders are now facing is an epi-
demic of institutional malfeasance, as we read nearly every day
in the news. And if there is anything that undermines trust, it is
Getting People on Your Side