Mikhail Gorbachev became President of the Soviet Union in March 1990. He had served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union since 1985.
Less than two years after becoming President, he abolished his office and the Soviet Union with it.
Gorbachev started with the Communist party before 1955. How did he decide to dismantle what he spent most of his life building?
Questions Leaders Must Ask
People make an organization. You determine the character of your organization. If you serve in leadership for a few years, your perspective, the flavour you bring to discussions – everything about you – shapes the culture. You cannot have zero impact.
Ideally, leaders ask tough questions long before crisis forces them.
Performance
- Is my organization performing to its full potential?
Influence
- Has my influence improved performance?
Direction
- Do I help my organization focus on important outcomes?
Succession
- When should I leave?
Relevance
- Has my organization outlived its relevance?
Change
- Is reformation best done from inside, working like Gorbachev, or from without, like social activists?
Renovation vs. Revolution
- Will incremental change help, or do we need a revolution, a complete reorganization?
Timing
“Ambiguity is your friend.” They made us repeat this at a course years ago. Leaders often hold conflicting views in tension. But, leaders must also make tough choices.
“Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
– Aristotle
“We lost the American colonies because we lacked the statesmanship to know the right time and the manner of yielding what is impossible to keep.”
– Queen Elizabeth II
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
– King Solomon
Failure
We remember Gorbachev for his statesmanship. He would have failed if he had just let the Union fail. We forget the names of most other leaders who held office last. Gorbachev stayed, asked the toughest questions and helped transition, even when it meant dismantling what he created.
Ask tough questions early and often. It might frustrate others. Answers might not be clear. But it’s your best hope of working in an organization that’s relevant, meaningful and remembered.
photo credit: tristarmedia.com
Shawn… now for the recommendations????
You have provoked thought. I suppose it is left up to all of us to determine how we see ourselves fitting in. And into what structure.
More to ponder on the train today.
Thanks!
Hey Darren,
I was intentionally vague hoping that everyone would make their own application. The answers might change month to month, and most certainly from person to person.
It seems a never ending challenge for me to answer: will change come best from within or from the outside of whatever I’m working on. No easy answers for sure!
Great to hear from you!
Best
Shawn