How does one respond to bad leadership? Does this always apply when the person is in authority over you? Does pulling the carpet out from under them help? What about self-defense?
Having faced this in the past and free of it at the moment brings an interesting perspective. I am struck by Solomon’s advice; “An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives; you’re smart to stay clear of someone like that.” (Proverbs 16.14) This is not the formula that I used when confronted with this reality in my life, yet I find the ring of truth embedded in the words.
First, Solomon is honest about reality. Bad leaders do wreak havoc in the lives of the people under their responsibility. They are rarely accountable, usually egocentric, and often believe they are “right”. While this is true sometimes, it is not relevant to the larger questions. What am I going to do with the reality I face? Is there a better path than the ones that I have taken in the past?
Second, the advice then and now is get yourself out of harm’s way. Make sure you are where you need to be. Unless you know with strong certainty that you are called into this battle then stay away! Not all carry a mission to reach bad leaders; stay clear, keep your focus and take a fresh step towards whatever it is that you are called to do.
It is easy to outline a better approach when you are not facing the immediate crisis. I wonder if I could have taken the approach outlined and realize that in the end this was the only approach I have found to actually work. I stayed, fought, and found myself and those around me hurting more because of my actions. I defended the right cause for the wrong reasons and as a result I did not move forward in my own journey.
As I look forward today the scene is very different, yet the question remains. Am I being true to what the Divine calls me to do? Are you?
