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Fooled by Flattery

There are two sets of people leaders must expect around them in public leadership, which if they do not take care may find it difficult to  maintain a balance for having already taken sides. Those who flatter and those who critique. Each of these is needed for stability to be maintained in leadership, and good leaders, instead of taking sides, rather use them as thermostats for effective leadership.


I personally have made a decision not to flatter people in public leadership especially when I see that their achievements are an aspect of their statutory function. It is like applauding a man who just impregnated the wife, which to me is his statutory function by nature. Clapping for you when you do what you are supposed to do can be subtle sometimes and manipulative, because it begs me to ask myself, "what will I do if you then do some extraordinary things beyond your statutory functions?"

It is important that leaders should begin to align themselves along the path that does not allow flattery above critiquism to influence their feed action responses towards their statutory functions. The reason is that most people learn very early in life that a good way to get people to like you is to show that you like them. Flattery, favors, and frequent compliments all tend to win people over. Leaders, naturally, like those who like them and are more apt to let those they are fond of influence them.

Our leaders should be wary of those who flatter them for performing their statutory functions and rather focus on those whose interests are genuine in critiquing their performance. This is important on the long run because of the effect of a group of people called "toxic followers."

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