Inaction Stymies Excellence
"Action or inaction are both forms of leadership and standard setting." - via Seth's Blog: "This will blow over".
I love that Seth brings upĀ inaction as much as action. Those times when we, as leaders, fail to say something to support others sets a new standard for what's acceptable. Those times when we, as leaders, fail to plan and prioritize sets a new standard for how our teams perform.
It reminds me of a quote from Drucker: "The only things that evolve by themselves in an organization are disorder, friction, and malperformance."
What's the connection?
Standards established by inaction are very rarely standards that foster excellence. Achieving excellence at any level of human action - individual, team, organizational, societal, global - requires intentional action, effort, and continual recommitment. That is to say, achieving excellence is neither easy nor natural.
Of course, over-involved leaders who are micromanaging their teams and holding on to things so tightly that they're strangling their organization could stand for a bit more active inaction. That said, better to err on the side of too much (true) leadership than too little.