This is not a blog about race, but rather a type of leader – the Black Leader. Black Leaders suffer from the dog syndrome – that is they must leave their mark wherever they go! They are experts at changing things, and feel compelled to set in place extensive change programs. More often than not the changes deliver savings or efficiencies in the short-term, but this short-term horizon is exactly the problem. Medium and long-term sustainability is rarely a consideration.

Take for example the spate of “right-sizing” and “out-sourcing” initiatives which were so prevalent in the Western world in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. How often was the baby thrown out with the bath-water? I know of more than one out-sourcing initiative that was initially successful because it employed casualties of the right-sizing activity. These casualties were trained in-house, and often had very specific knowledge that could only be acquired on the job! The same organisations that right-sized now no longer have in-house capability, but 10 years on find it difficult to out-source the activity because no-one trains people with the requisite skills. In every case these out-sourcing initiatives were led by Black Leaders, who were amply rewarded, and sometimes publicly honoured, but never stayed long enough in the organisation to see the negative consequences of their actions.

Black Leaders are careerists and leave their mark in other ways - they eat their own. To put it another way they have all the traits of the smiling assassin. One way they leave their mark is by discrediting their predecessor, and highlighting shortages in the previous administration. This of course opens the door for a change initiative! Black Leaders are experts at holding others accountable, often for trivial things, but they won’t step forward when the going gets tough. Rather they apportion blame and deny their personal involvement. Black Leaders are experts at trumpeting their successes and denying their failures.

Black Leaders corral expertise as they need it, and discard it just as quickly. Of course expertise resides in people, but people are unimportant to Black Leaders. What matters is the outcome and whether or not it will benefit directly or indirectly the Black Leader. Black Leaders are bullies. Most often they are passive aggressives and corral output through implied consequences. Black Leaders demand loyalty but fail to give it back. Black Leaders are not pleasant to work for – I know I’ve worked for two!

So why am I blogging about Black Leaders today? Well it’s Australia Day and the honours list has been published. Every year five or six hundred Australians are recognised for their outstanding contributions. Every year I am amazed at the contributions 498 or 598 of these people make – people who provide 50 years of volunteer community work or make significant scientific discoveries that benefit all. Unfortunately in recent years I always recognise one or two Black Leaders on the list. These are people who may have made a significant contribution, but it has been at the expense of others. These are people who may have made a significant contribution, but equally have made significant mistakes for which they hold others accountable. It saddens me because the Black Leaders award devalues the honour of the other recipients. It saddens me because awards are subject to a quota and it means one or two worthy recipients miss out.

Of course this is just my opinion, but I submit we all know a Black Leader. Let’s make sure they are not publicly recognised in the future by taking the time and effort to nominate someone who is deserving. It isn’t difficult, and we all know someone who volunteers their time and has done so for decades. Let’s recognise these people and edge the Black Leaders out of the quota, because Black Leaders don’t matter but our unsung workers do!

Regards Graham