WARNING: The last part of the video included in this post is quite graphic. The Iranian government responded to protesters last weekend by, well, by shooting them.
In the last year the Iranian government has killed more than two dozen protesters. Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a sad illustration of the dark side of leadership. His motto? Based on observations of his decision-making and behavior one might conclude that it is, “Power corrupts, and, absolute power… is really kinda neato.” Coercion and the use of brute force may win a few battles but will always prove a losing strategy in the long-term. Consider the information from Transparency International as quoted from the Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703278604574624302036557422.html?mod=rss_Today’s_Most_Popular ,
According to Transparency International, Iran is today one of the most corrupt economies in the world. It also has the ignominy of topping the list of all countries in terms of brain drain. Each year, between 150,000 and 180,000 of the country’s best and brightest leave the country. The yearly cost to Iran for this brain drain alone is estimated to be almost equal to the yearly cost of the Iran-Iraq War, according to the World Bank.
Leadership Take-away: You might be saying to yourself right now, “Yea but, I don’t have people shot when they disagree with my point of view.” While I certainly hope that’s true, we should ask ourselves, “Is there a coercive element to my leadership style?” Not only will leading without love result in your leadership coming off as a “resounding gong” (1 Corinthians 13:1) but you’ll find yourself unable to attract and retain the best and the brightest for your team.
Lead with love.
I have read that there are two basic leadership styles, one is leadership through force and the other is leadership through harmony. Leadership through force is destined to fail as people will rebel against it at the first opportunity.
God is Love