FROM FEELING HONOURED TO FEELING ENTITLED
When a milestone is conquered, the subtle erosion called entitlement begins its consuming grind. The team regards its greatness as a trait and a right. Half hearted effort becomes habit and saps a champion.
When you have the courage to stand up and tell it like it is, good people will come out of the woodwork to get behind you.
Jesse Ventura
We recently had our national election and as a result many people were replaced with new leaders at various levels of government. What can one expect them to say as they take their new positions? Most likely they will say what we all say when we become aware of others’ positive expectations and recognition: ‘Thank you. I feel honoured.’ What can we read into such a statement? What would we like to read into such a statement? My guess is that, when we think about others, we would like to think that they truly mean it. That is, they feel they are offered something valuable that can be taken away from them, namely people’s admiration and respect. We would hope that the person who says he feels honoured to lead a nation, an institution, a company, a congregation, a department, a project or a sports team would be fully aware of the fact that it is not the position (for the sake of the position) that is offered to him, but the responsibility and opportunity.
So, if we are in the position of being entrusted with responsibility and opportunity, what are we more conscious of: the privilege of being seen as worthy of others’ trust and belief in us? Or the added status, income and other benefits that come with the position? If it is the former we will get up in the morning challenged by the question: how will I be worthy of others’ trust and the responsibility of my role and balance it with other roles and responsibilities that I have? If it is the latter it is predictable that sooner or later the ‘subtle erosion called entitlement begins its consuming grind’. It is amazing how the initial feeling of being honoured can be replaced by the feeling of ‘I am entitled’ – often in a very short space of time. Saying ‘I feel honoured’ communicates the notion ‘I am in your hands’ and ‘I owe my best efforts to you’. ‘Entitlement’ elevates the individual in his own mind above others. The main challenges for a person with an attitude of entitlement are the challenge to secure his current position and the aspiration for a higher and more powerful position.
No-one is above the temptations that come with a position of leadership. The difference between a good leader, sustained growth and good results and a bad leader, no real changes and disillusionment are more often than not the willingness and alertness of the leader to recognise the dangers of entitlement early on. As it is in leadership, the leader’s attitude of entitlement quickly become that of the team and ends up as a general culture. The veneer of bravery and power that we see in positional leaders is often no more than an attempt to disguise feelings of anxiety. The problem is that those feelings only become stronger in the absence of application and results. Therefore, as Robert Evans’s quote suggests: be prepared to face your own anxieties before your ‘I feel honoured’- speech.
Jesse Ventura was an American professional wrestler in the 70’s and 80’s – a very improbable state governor! After retirement as a wrestler he became a commentator where he frequently sided with the villains of the sport. He was outspoken and prepared to be the target of the public in his own radio talk show. He was described as a multi-faceted personality and a strong character who is capable of achieving anything he sets his mind to. Earlier in his life he joined an elite unit in the Navy with the purpose to cure his fear for heights. At the age of 39 he lived with his wife and two children in a neighbourhood in Brooklynn Park, Minnesota, when developers wanted to start a number of building projects in their area. The local residents were strongly against it. In spite of a strong petition the council however went ahead with their plans.
Ventura decided to do some investigations into the workings of the council. He discovered that most decisions of the council were taken unanimously but against the will of the people. Their hypocrisy infuriated him and he decided to do something about it. He attended the city council meetings and launched a grassroots effort to inform public about the vast corruption in their city government, and he laid out a plan to correct it. He organised to televise the council meetings and got people involved when hot topics were debated. It worked. He stated at the time: ‘The only way the system will ever change is if enough well-meaning private sector people get involved in their local government for the right reasons’. To cut a long story short, he eventually became the governor of Minnesota and remained as strong and independent in his thinking as ever. When asked to explain why he think he was elected against all the odds he said: ‘If I had to pick one reason people voted for me, I would have to say that it is because I tell the truth. I stand tall and speak freely, even when it isn’t politically expedient to do so.’ He enjoyed the highest job-approval rating of any governor in the history of Minnesota.
Jesse Ventura’s story is just one example of a leader who was strong enough to resist the temptation of entitlement. Can we look forward to leadership in South Africa that would resemble the same characteristics?
Best regards
Gerhard
Remember my offer of inspirational talks on the following topics:
· Inspire yourself, inspire others
· Resilience and tenacity
· Accountability and responsibility
· The illusion of security
· The power of character
· Excellence and success
· Busyness and prioritising
· Mental and spiritual fitness
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
GOD WALKER INITIATIVE
Take a moment to read more about this life enrichment series and visit our website and invitation to the Launch Chapter Experience on the 23rd - 25th of July.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment