They say that power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, that absolute power corrupts absolutely but few talk about the idea that power is addictive. It is because of the addictive nature of power that we see presidents for life standing in phony elections and CEOs whom no-one dares eject from their corner offices and business jets.
The addictive power of leadership derives not only from being insulated from the dross of everyday life but also from the way that people defer to leadership. This is because leadership, just like in the feudal kingdoms of old, can confer rights, privileges, positive cashflow, titles and comfort. The price paid by the recipient of these endowments is NOT TO QUESTION NUMBER ONE regardless of what they have done and continue to do. The result is the Number One ends up living in a reality bubble surrounded by a chorus line of hanger-on sycophants. In extreme cases, this sycophantic elite tries to do everything to ensure that Number one is never displeased, that only good stories are told about Number One and that any negative stories are expunged before they are seen or heard. The simple reason is that Leadership can also make bad things happen to people.
Leadership has a life cycle and it’s important for a leader to recognise when it’s time to bail. But for this to happen successfully, there needs to be a legacy – a plan that details who will come next after number one is gone. This legacy or succession plan is often only articulated when it’s too late. Not engaging ideas of “who-will-come-once-they-are-gone” actually becomes the way in which Number One manages to cling to the accouterments of power while ensuring the uncertainty and ambiguity through which leadership needs to navigate.
Given the same faces, speeches and scandals, leadership becomes boring to the audience. There follows a groundswell of opinion that whoever it is #mustfall or #mustgo. When this happens, the jockeying for power becomes more intense. In the face of these challenges, there are three choices that can be made:
- Number One must vacate their seat of power, handing over to whoever is identified in the succession plan
- Number One hangs on, indifferent to the voices calling for resignation and carries on with the golfing holidays and the overseas trips using the business jet as though there’s no problem at all
- Number One creates a crisis – a false flag event that diverts attention from them and concentrates minds on a threat, either external or internal. Having moved attention from Number One to the problem, further clinging to power is ensured.
There is another choice, mostly involuntary, where Number One drops dead or lands up with a disease. Whatever happens, Number One is merely the face of a dynasty, a lineage consisting of assorted hangers on, family members and others who have benefited from the patronage afforded to them. It will be these behind-the-scenes people and groups who will try to ensure that life remains nice and cushy for them.
Given that Number One is fully addicted to power, the removal can be fraught with danger and difficulty. History tells us that successful removal is normally achieved by old age or by some form of violence such as a palace revolt among insiders.
The message to Number One is simple: true leadership recognises the signs of the end of its lifecycle and exits gracefully. Unfortunately history also teaches us that Number Ones hang on way past their expiry date.
Number One can take many forms and be called many different titles but whether in the form of a parent, a boss, a CEO or president of a government/corporation, there will always be a point in time when their lifecycle would naturally end and those who are led know this.
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