February 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 38

COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP

At the heart of leadership is the act
of courage. Courage is the differentiator and the line in the sand between
those who simply manage systems
and those who lead. Leadership
requires risk and going against the
grain. Those who exhibit real leadership, act knowing that there is an
opportunity for reformation and, ultimately, revolutionary change. And,
these same people know that if they

Courage is the differentiator and
the line in the sand between
those who simply manage
systems and those who lead.
choose to sit on the sidelines, progress
will not be made and conditions will
not improve. When we think about
those who challenged and demanded major societal change, the likes
of Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson and
Cesar Chavez may come to mind.
They reacted and responded in bold
ways that inspired, energized and influenced people. And, they put everything on the line to make a difference
for the greater good.
Courageous leaders honor their
" true north " - a set of ethical values
that guide them when the pressure
is on. They don't avoid responsibility because they fear personal risk,
failure or what people may think of
them. They embrace knowing that
they are taking a stand for something
bigger than themselves. Their focus
is not on being popular or criticized,
but instead on an endgame and
achieving a noble result. Essentially,
they are driven by their " why " and
are able to galvanize others around a
common belief or purpose.

Leadership -
What Is It Really?
From the philosopher and warrior
36

Parks & Recreation

Sun Tzu to today's leadership gurus, like Simon Sinek, we have seen
an evolution of theory and research
around the topic of leadership. We
exist in a day and age when " leadership teams, " " the leadership " and
" leaders " are seemingly everywhere.
These labels become a complete contradiction when we continue to conflate management with leadership.
According to leadership contemporaries Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky, who have spent more than
30 years examining and teaching the
practice of leadership at Harvard
University's John F. Kennedy School
of Government, leadership today is:
* the process of social influence that
includes maximizing efforts for a
common good
* a choice, not a rank
* something that requires courage
and vulnerability
* something that requires both inspiration and perspiration
* the ability to disappoint people at a
rate at which they can tolerate

Technical Issues vs. Adaptive
Challenges
Like all problems, unexpected crisis
frequently includes both technical
and adaptive parts. In any state of
intense difficulty, levels of disequilibrium are high, and for this reason
pressure results. It then becomes easy
to see crises as technical issues with
straightforward solutions that will
quickly restore stability. In the book,
" Leadership on the Line, " authors
Linsky and Heifetz contend that
many in positions of authority waste
the opportunity that crisis presents because they respond to the expectation
that order is swiftly restored - even
when it means ignoring the adaptive
challenge and cause of the crisis.
For example, when facing a budget reduction, many authority figures opt for the " salami cutter " way

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of cutting expenses (take an equal
10 percent from each division) or
choose to " pluck low hanging fruit "
rather than exhibiting true leadership and facing the more difficult
strategic questions that should be
addressed to limit future reductions
and create a more self-sustaining
system for the long haul. This could
mean considering the alternatives
and enhancing revenues, such as
eliminating senior discounts if they
no longer make sense. Exploring
this adaptive challenge would require courageous conversations
with conflicting values and strong
emotions, and the appetite to do so.
The quick fix or standard operating procedure tends to be the default
rather than strategic, mindful and
thoughtful decision making - this
would take time and leave people in a
state of disequilibrium beyond what
they might like.
It is suggested that the single most
common source of organizational
failure is treating adaptive challenges
like technical issues.

Today's Realities
Require Leadership
It's easy to focus energy on the fun
stuff that people like to talk about.
The latest program trends, ways to
provide great customer service or
steps to build a new facility are exciting topics of interest among staff,
boards, councils and communities.
These are among the things that generate enthusiasm around innovation
and satisfy customer interests and
demands. While all are important
organizational considerations, none
require leadership.
I often use the phrase, " the first
through the wall is always the bloodiest, " as a response when I hear someone ask the question: " Do you know
any agencies that have done that before? " I find it unfortunate that there

February 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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