Political leadership: What’s that?

Keith's is only one of the definitions based on the theoretical approch. Psychologist Dr Ken Ogbonnia who is also the CEO of Texas Enegy says: "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen." Or "effective leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals."

Generally speaking, most people in Australia associate the word 'leader' with politicians, although people prominent in the Arts, business and sport occasionally are called leaders. I also hear local business people being called leaders, although often the appellation is dubious. But local communities too have leaders who, sadly often go unrecognised. These leaders are often teachers. Many surveys highlight that when children have been asked who most affected their lives for the better, teachers often topped the list.

I return to politics, suggesting that political leadership has declined rapidly and the quality of Australian Federal, State and Territory parliaments has declined as if in sympathy. Politicians of substance have become noticeable by their absence.

I also believe that this has ramifications outside Australia. With communication technology shrinking the world, it is no longer a good enough excuse for Australia to say we are falling behind the rest of the world because of distance. That we fall behind is because the narcissists in our Federal Government seem more interested in promoting themselves than Australia.

Indeed family members interested in politics who live in the US, UK, NZ and Japan have said to me that some of our current politicians remind them of those gauche Australians who in years gone by, contributed to creating a bad impression of Australia. They may well be overstating things, but looking at the performance overseas of some Australians on TV makes one pause to think.

True boasting about one's country comes with the job of a politician, but the attitude of some Australian politicians leaves much to be desired. Clever some may be, but sometimes they seem too clever by half. Many also seem to have forgotten they are not performing to a captive Australian audience and speaking personally, recent performances of the Treasurer and Deputy Chief Minister plus the Foreign Minister left me unimpressed.

I was unimpressed also with the acrimonious debates between the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition on a wide range of subjects such as global warming, carbon tax, NBN and many other issues of importance plus the appalling mishandling of the asylum seeker issue. Who do voters blame most? No doubt the next federal election will make this clear.

At the same time the Liberal and Labor parties seem to be fighting each other for the titles of incompetent and untrustworthy. They have resorted also to behaviour, albeit not physical, that in less democratic countries, often decide the person of Prime Minister and government. Speaking metaphorically, just as it happens in those less democratic countries, Australians have witnessed the assassination of a Prime Minister and a no less lethal determination of the Opposition leader's fate. This is known as democracy in action.

However with the words of Jack Welch in mind, let me ask voters what they look for in political leaders? Dotheylook for decision makers with Integrity and vision, who have identified the issues that voters think will be as important in the future as they are today? Or, do they look for politicians who are better at following orders than in thinking about and speaking out about what needs to be done?

Sadly, as most have found out, because speaking out carries political costs, something that few are prepared to do, politicians and wannabe politicians of that ilk are hard to find.

But of one thing I am sure. Voters do not want a continuation of the current government structure in which an Oligarchy, comprising a handful of Green and a few allegedly Independents, is helping a minority Labor Government stay in power.

In a sense, the oligarchs have become arbiters of government policy although the policies seem to be policies that most voters don't want. And, however sanguine Labor and the Oligarchs feel now, if government doesn't change for the better and if voters' current disenchantment with the government continues until the next election, Labor and its Oligarch friends might have good reason to feel less sanguine.