#rally

Yes, we’ve all seen the slogan and the interpretations of it. Stay alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives has been derided, hacked and left many of us confused.

The 50/60 page roadmap (that’s not a road map that’s a Haynes Manual) and the ‘explanations’ haven’t really left us any the wiser.

And then Atif Choudhury alerted me (see what I did there?) to a fabulous post on this very platform by Jon Alexander here. It got me thinking and Atif and I exchanged some thoughts on it. Like you do on Twitter. At its best. Not just agreeable, building comprehension. How Twitter should be used not gaslighting, trolling or showboating.

Anyway, in it, we talked about agency, alertness and the need for us to move beyond the Government hype and tactics moving responsibility for the virus reaction to us. Not because of that agency I mentioned, but because of their failings in Jon’s post and Atif’s additions.

It got me thinking about leadership failings I’ve experienced. Not life-and-death situations like we’re in now, but where someone was being a shit leader. Disinterested, out their depth, overly controlling, fearful, uncomfortable, faking it and the shufflers I mentioned before (here).

When we have failing or failed leadership, we tend to either:

1. Rebel. Do your thing and be disobedient to their direction.
2. Comply. Their ineffectiveness may not harm you so you just sit tight.
3. Adapt. Often in a form of subterfuge to get the stuff done you know needs doing in spite of their failures as a leader.

The problem with 2 and 3 is they get away with their failings.

The problem with 1, is they know who you are and may look to remove you as the challenger (directly or indirectly). They may throw in the towel or let you get away with your rebellion which may or may not harm others but not them per se.

3 seems like the one thing many of us do. Carry on regardless. I’ve done it countless times. Sometimes 1 and 2 too. Geez, I’ve some blots on the copybook of that.

There is a fourth option.

4. Rally. Form alliances, build a togetherness that usurps, replaces and paints the failing leader into their own corner of irrelevance so that either they are replaced, fall on the sword or start to show up how they could/should in leading the now more galvanised team.

Why don’t we choose the 4th space more then?

It’s hard. It may be considered mutinous. You don’t always know who is 1, 2, or 3 above and that may make it difficult to rally people to the ‘cause’.

And yet, when faced with the ultimate in life and death situations, we still find it hard to rally. Like now with COVID-19 responses.

It needs some big figures to stand up to any Government ‘misdemeanours’. It needs some clever minds who can capture our attention to do the ‘right’ thing. It needs some inspiring souls to bring us together emotionally, philosophically and intellectually.

You don’t have to look too far for conspiracy theorists, newly-crowned experts on epidemiology and ICU practice and masters of economics and pandemic responses. It’s confusing sometimes to believe in what’s right and useful to rally to.

We scorn the mainstream media yet without the challenging questions, how dictatorial could Governments become? Without invoking outrage and discourse how would we know what’s spin and sage?

Our initial response was to rally to our Governments once we knew of the scale and danger presented by this virus. As the stories and the facts became clear, we had to rely on their direction and gave up control because of fear.

Then the damage of economic ruin cast a big shadow over humanitarian reactions and some wanted to resist that command. Some found facts — alternative or fabrications — to back up their claims. Some accused isolating civil libertarians of being the establishment (without a hint of irony in their accusations). When all even the most ardent of previous resistors of state control were wanting to do, was act responsibly to their fellow humans (not just because Governments told them so) and saw it right to challenge the resistor’s dogma as flawed.

It becomes more and more difficult to know who to rally to.

I’m fortunate being in HR (and it’s not often I’ve said that as it’s an oft-derided profession) in that my professional body — the CIPD — has shown exemplary reaction, support, tools, interventions and guidance to its fellow people professionals. There’s been some useful rallying to them for all sorts of practical, professional and psychological reasons.

And — New Zealand apart — world leaders struggling to lead well through this crisis, who do we naturally rally to?

And yet, I am connected to some of the sharpest minds, clearest consciences and flourishing spirits there are in the world.

What’s unfortunate is that much of ours — and their — efforts, wisdom and offers are disparate, dispersed (like we are in working) and disconnected.

So I am thinking about who and how we rally to, to get things done in the name of ‘right’ ‘better’ and ‘safety’ (despite them being vague and are easily considered platitudes).

Let’s deal with the reasons we may find it difficult to rally to something.

It’s too complex. Yes, the reactions to the pandemic have highlighted many of the intricate, connected and complex ways we live our lives and have constructed our laying or earning and working onto our living operating system. Complex adaptive systems is, I believe, a very succinct way of describing our world. Yet we know people master this kind of thinking. Witness this amazing podcast from Dave Snowden here. In it, Dave talks about some amazing work he’s doing using his Cynefin framework with some large influential bodies in the public interest.

No-one has the answers or even the right questions. I’ve said this many times and of course, no-one does have either right now. We’re not particularly well-rehearsed in a global pandemic like this. Yet, we’ve never had a ‘hive-mind’ as we have with the internet 2020 version and the capabilities of machine learning.

No-one has the right interests at heart. Bill Gates and other billionaires have pledged support to fight the virus yet many see those as part of the problem — fully capitalised through capitalism which is ripping at the seams as we experience lockdown implications. We chastise millionaires who furlough their staff whilst sitting on their piles of cash; and are suspicious of entrepreneurs who are accused of virtue-signalling when they attempt to pivot their businesses to make gowns or ventilators. We are sceptical of tech companies offering tracing apps and what they’ll do with our data. Many political figures have us in aghast at their inability to lead or we see their tactics as simply re-election strategies or power holds (notwithstanding Jacinda Ardern who many would elect as world leader right now I suspect).

We can’t decide on what to rally for/against. I’m already experiencing it. Some I thought as compassionate, kind and virtuous souls might be calling out for things I simply don’t believe in. Vaccination production, treatments, economic alternatives, new forms of commerce, ecological recovery, education reform, big/small government. It comes back to the complex thing above. Where do we start? That may go some way to explaining why it’s tough to bring together ‘one voice’ on this pandemic. Even the well-intentioned World Health Organization is attacked regularly by politicians and ‘experts’ on social media platforms.

So again, who or how do we #rally to?

Ourselves.

I suspect we could all do with a personal rallying manifesto that creates the agency in us I shared with Atif.

• We start with what do I stand for in the world? What do I rally to about myself and what I believe in?
• We then go on to what do I do in pursuit of that? And what and who do I need in order to do that? What do I rally with?
• We then move into how do I sustain those pursuits? My energy, time, focus, knowledge, skill, attitude, sense-checking and values that give me comfort and confidence to know it’s right for me and others. What do I have and need to rally to something or someone?
• We may then emerge into how big you want that rally to become and to achieve what end? How do I define my rally in size, scale, scope and success?
• And lastly and perhaps of most significance, who else do I rally with?

Maybe then we find our simplicity in complexity.

Maybe then we find our deeds over our inertia?

Maybe then we find our resources over our inadequacies?

Maybe then we find our impact over our uncertainty?

Maybe then we find our tribe to rally with and multiply the value that we can create?

When we’re faced with a leadership void, we rally.

Let’s make sure we’re rallying to what and who helps you and others the most in our mid- and post-pandemic lives.