Efficient Governments, Dictatorships and Resilience

“Whenever you have an efficient government you have a dictatorship”, Harry S Truman.

This quote came up in my daily quote section on my iGoogle homepage. It reminded me of a conversation I was having with some of my colleagues about leaders like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, that is, dominant CEO figures. It is their absolute authority that allows them to turn their companies in a new direction. For Steve Jobs that was iPods, iTunes and iPhones. For Bill Gates it was retracing his steps and getting on board the Internet.

The only problem with this style of leadership is that they better be right. If the direction they take their company is over a cliff, they will all go there together, very efficiently. It also breaks down any upward communication. “Hey boss, is that a cliff coming up?” CEO’s reply, “Are you with me or not?”

Bill Gates wasn’t always right but was able to back track on his earlier views of the Internet and switch Microsoft in that direction (no comment on tactics). He has now moved on from Microsoft and I wonder how the leadership works there now?

One day Steve Jobs will move on from Apple (again) and I wonder how resilient the company will be with his departure.

We are told to build resilience into our children so they can face the ups and downs of the world. What are we doing to build resilience in our organizations? I believe that dictatorships break down resilience therefore sorry Mr President Truman but I don’t like your quote.