The Charisma Excuse

An occasional (and maybe insightful) examination of the issues, dilemmas, challenges, and opportunities in leadership, governance, management, and performance in public agencies.

On the self deception of: The Charisma Excuse

In the literature about business manage- the aggressive resistance of his superiors in ment, the focus is on the manager as hero. the Navy and Defense Department. And at the Jack Welch arrives at General Electric and, all top of the list of current public-sector manage- by himself, wrestles the monster into profit- rial heroes is Rudy Giuliani—who, on Septem- ability. Just ask him. He tells us all about it in ber 11, 2001, single-handedly saved New York Jack: Straight from the Gut. City. The Lone Ranger rides again. We don’t have to take Jack’s word for it, however. Even in the cool and The management shelves careful, non-celebratory are full of books by others academic world, we create celebrating Welch as the managerial heroes. We modern, executive equiva- don’t call them that. We lent of Hercules: You can don’t label them “big shots” buy Big Shots: Business the or “giants” or “legendary.” Jack Welch Way; or you can Still, when we write a pick up Jack Welch & The teaching case about the G. E. Way: Management In- manager of a public agency sights and Leadership Se- and when we teach that crets of the Legendary CEO; case to thousands of people or you can read Jack Welch: The Giant of —both students earning a degree and practic- Corporate Management Who Created Billions for ing managers attending a two-week executive Investors. Even in the 21st century, we crave program—we are implicitly creating heroes. myths, and the story of Jack Welch satisfies our need for a contemporary Ulysses. Why else spend any time studying this case? Why else try to learn something from Welsh is not the only larger-than-life man- this case? Because the manager in the case agerial hero. From Thomas Edison, to Lee was (it goes without saying) a big shot, a giant. Iacocca, to Andrew Grove, to, now, Sergey Brin Through the case, the manager becomes and Larry Page, we continue to celebrate our legendary. executive superstars. They are smart, tal- ented, and charismatic. How else could they And, although we may only read about build their empire? these managers—although we may never meet them—we attribute to them one other charac- In the public sector, we too are fascinated teristic: Obviously, they must be charismatic. with heroic, managerial leaders. Dwight Eisen- Otherwise they could never have pulled it off. hower organized D-Day. David Lilenthal res- cued the Tennessee Valley Authority. Hyman Yet, when we actually meet one of them in Rickover created the nuclear navy—despite person—when we first see one of them in Bob Behn's Public Management Report December 2004

The Charisma Excuse (continued) page 2

action (if you can describe running a meeting People aren’t cobras who will dance at the as “action”)—we are immediately struck: They command of a few notes from a flute. People are not at all charismatic. Sure, people give require neither music nor charm. Rather they them a little deference. But that respect is require a clear explanation about where they derived from the office they hold plus the are going, about why they are trying to get accomplishments they have gotten their orga- there, about how they will get there, and nization to achieve. The fact is: They aren’t about what will happen if they do get there. John Wayne or Katharine Hepburn. It might help if the agency’s managerial Learning from charismatic heroes isn’t team could provide this explanation in an much help to those of us who are downright enchanting way. That, however, is not essen- dull. We aren’t going to wake up a room; we’re tial. But it is essential that the managerial more apt to put it to sleep. Nobody is going to team provide a clear sense of direction: Here is salute us. what we are trying to accomplish. Here is why we are “Sure, if I had charisma, trying to accomplish it. Here This is the charisma excuse: I could do what Jack Welch is how we will accomplish it. “If I had been born with the or Rudy Giuliani did. But I And here is what will happen charisma gene, I could lead don’t. It’s not my fault. My if we do accomplish it. Then, my department [my agency, parents failed to pass on to they have to repeat and re- my small unit]. Unfortunately, me the charisma gene. As a peat this message until ev- I wasn’t. It isn’t my fault. It’s result, there is nothing eryone gets it. just the evolutionary hand glamourous, or charming, or that I was dealt.” alluring, or captivating about If this message can be me. I’ll just have to face it: delivered in a non-boring I’m boring.” way, that will help. But the managers of public agencies cannot wait for This is the charisma excuse. some DNA transplant. It isn’t coming. They have to deliver the message with the commu- As an excuse, it is extremely serviceable. It nication skills—boring or beguiling—that they vindicates everything—or, at least, everything have been able to learn and develop. about an absence of leadership: “If I had been born with the charisma gene, I could lead my Public employees need real, straightfor- department [my agency, my small unit]. ward leadership. Their managers should not Unfortunately, I wasn’t. It isn’t my fault. It’s hide behind the charisma excuse. d just the evolutionary hand that I was dealt.”

Nevertheless, the charisma excuse is just Robert D. Behn is the author of Performance that: It’s an excuse. It’s not an explanation. It’s Leadership: 11 Better Practices That Can Ratch- not even an apology. It’s just an excuse. The et Up Performance and a lecturer at Harvard assumption behind this excuse is that (once University's John F. Kennedy School of Gov- offered) no explanation, no apology, no further ernment. clarification is required. As a member of the team of Kennedy School This would be acceptable if—and only if— faculty who lead executive-education pro- the charisma of personal magnetism was grams for the public sector, Bob chairs “Driv- essential to leadership. It isn’t. Most leaders ing Government Performance: Leadership don’t beguile their organization. Most leaders Strategies that Produce Results.” He also don’t charm their people into working hard conducts custom-designed executive programs and smart, into producing wondrous results. for public agencies, most recently in Lisbon.

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