According to a recent CNN article, some of the 97 Republicans who are not sharing their vaccine status told CNN that they don’t have the responsibility to model behavior for their constituents.
It is the responsibility of the accountable leader to model the culture, values, and behavior that they are encouraging inside their area of leadership. So, by definition, these senators have self-selected out of a leadership position. If they’re not going to lead then shouldn’t their constituents select someone else to be their leaders in government?
Leadership is always about responsibility, responsibility for the people they lead. Leadership is never about you the leader. Yes, accountable leaders subjugate their own interested for the best interest of those they lead. Sure, we know of many leaders who do not do this. They are simply leaders by title. They are not really leaders in fact.
Leaders have to be all in. Leaders cannot have one foot on the dock and one foot in the boat. When they try that, someone gets hurt. If you do not want to step up to the responsibility of being a leader then simply do not run for office, accept the position, or intimate that you are a leader.
If we want to live in a society that inspires accountability we must first be accountable. Our actions influence the actions of the people around us. Accountable leaders always understand that cause and effect. Accountable leaders always work for the greater good of the people they lead over everything else – over power, over wealth, over any personal gain. Accountable leaders always realize that they are stewards for the community they are supposed to be building whether that community is in a business, a family, or in our society.
Unfortunately, many people do not understand this and simply vote for someone because of party, or the words coming out of the candidate’s mouth. If we do not set a high expectation we will never get a higher level of performance. It is time to judge people for their actions. If someone truly is a leader, support that person. And, if our elected officials want to ignore the responsibilities of leadership we must stand up and demand better. It is always up to us. Shouldn’t leaders always have the responsibility to model the desired behavior?
