Leadership Crisis
BY Behshad Hastibakhsh
"The key to successful leadership
today is influence, not authority."
-- Kenneth Hartley Blanchard (b. 1939), American writer
The Persian community
in exile bears visible scars of division shaped by cultural
experiences of a generation that has witnessed the breakdown
of social order and structure in the old country. These
cultural experiences have contributed to an emerging leadership
crisis in a polarized environment. Every social gathering
is a potential venue for emotionally driven debates on
past and current world affairs, while heated discussions
are often based on subjective opinions, distorted facts,
and inaccurate assertions.
Judging by the number of weblogs, editorials and commentaries,
the diaspora remains passionate and concerned about Iran's
political future. Nevertheless, one cannot pursue noble
objectives in life with passion alone. What our community
needs is a new breed of great leaders to apply scientific
and rational approaches towards presenting new innovative
ideas and healing scars of internal divisions.
 In his article "Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of
Humility and Fierce Resolve", Jim Collins identifies
key factors that help institutions make the transition
from being mediocre to great. Collins points at 'Level
5 Leadership' as the most important component in the transition
from good to great. He defines 'Level 5 Leaders' as executives
who build "enduring greatness through a paradoxical
blend of personal humility and professional will"*.
At the community level,
great leaders set an example in personal humility and possess
self-effacing, quiet, reserved,
and even shy characters. They inspire standards and a culture
of discipline, instead of pure charisma, to motivate others.
Great leaders nurture freedom and responsibility and sacrifice
personal gains for the greater good. They take responsibility
for failures and refrain from using others or the luck
factors as escape goats. Through their unwavering commitment
to long term results, they deliver on promises without
hypes, spins, excuses and exaggerations.
One must admit that contemporary leaders in the Persian
community, both at the macro (national) and micro (local)
level, lack characteristics associated with great leaders.
There are few credible personalities whom we can trust.
Hence, our community suffers from a leadership crisis.
At the macro (national) level, the cult of personality
surrounding ruling and opposition leaders in exile has
further complicated the political conundrum. Evidently,
there is a correlation between cultural attitudes and 'cult
of personality' as a phenomenon. Iranians tend to create
or demonize 'heroes' and 'anti-heroes', rather than contribute
to the evolution of ideas and principles. Whatever the
explanation, it is necessary to initiate a public education
and awareness campaign on negative impacts of 'hero worship'
and 'cult of personality'.
It is imperative to replace gossips, rhetoric and speculations
with substantive discussions and innovative ideas to build
a pluralistic democratic society. Such discussions need
to be led by political scientists, economists, sociologists
and scholars who are willing to build consensus based on
a scientific framework. To arrive at this stage, we need
to first nurture a new generation of great leaders at the
micro (community) level.
Recognizing the fundamental need for regime change in
Iran, it is imperative to identify the next generation
of great leaders at a young age, nurture their talents
and provide them with open access to educational and career
opportunities. To this end, the current generation of leaders
needs to embrace change and retire with grace. This particularly
applies to the leadership level of political opposition
in exile.
Great leaders of tomorrow face the daunting task of regaining
social trust and exercising influence, rather than authority,
to address social issues both at the macro and the micro
level. Ultimately, great leadership drives from the application
of science and reason towards communal consensus.
* Collins, Jim, "Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph
of Humility and Fierce Resolve" Harvard Business Review,
Jan. 2001
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