Delusions and power

If we have a boss who does not give us a clear vision, or who changes his vision depending on how the wind blows, things will not go well. The company will fail, because the team members will not know which way to go and will feel lost, stumbling around at the mercy of the delusions of that boss who does not understand what his real job is and where his value as a leader lies. Let’s imagine that one of the members of the team, a team that fights for sustainability and the environment, warns of the risks of the meat industry for the climate, the economy and health. And then the boss, the supposed leader, frightened by the reaction of a part of the clientele that could significantly reduce the company’s income, makes a nice statement saying that he loves to eat steak. Fade to black and in the next sequence that team member is run over by a bus into which his own leader has mercilessly thrown him. The next day, the company’s security personnel show up at the offices with cardboard boxes and take away the deceased’s belongings. They tear up the sign with his name on it that presided over his desk and throw it in the trash. The rest of the team members are afraid to raise their voices. What do I say fear; dread. At the weekly meeting there is no sound other than the leader’s voice, congratulating them on their good work “in these uncertain times” and telling them about a trip to Eurodisney they will be taking soon, to strengthen relationships among colleagues. Sidelong glances, a few shy messages in work chats, but mostly Whatsapps when leaving the office. Lots of Whatsapps. “One more of hers. Another one in which he leaves us sold,” a meme of Gollum and the power of the ring. Emojis of uncontainable laughter. But, at the same time, anguish at home. Many can’t sleep at night, unable to speak their minds. Because they have no idea what’s okay to say and what’s not. Because where I said I say, I say Diego. And because the situation is taking its toll on their credibility.

Talking in confidence, with a few beers too many, one of the executives, with an impeccable curriculum and great international projection, regrets having got into this mess that pays well but is not worth it. “Do you remember when we started, with so much enthusiasm and desire to improve the world? I think he’s lost his mind and we’re paying the price”. “But we knew what we were in for when he called us,” the partner replies. “We sensed he would sell his soul to the devil to be there, to be able to sit at the tables that matter.” She thinks she might be, that she did it because it seemed like a unique opportunity to change things and improve the country, without having to worry about her economic situation. She wanted to get to Europe, where she could really make a difference. She wanted her son to go to the German school, the one that was so progessive and so good and with so many contacts. Had she made a mistake? Would she have to keep quiet or assume that the instructions could change from one day to the next? Would she be the next one to be thrown under the wheels of another bus by the boss?
Another example: within our multinational company, our team is born to drive renewable energy. It’s a difficult task and requires big discussions with teams not as new as ours, who see our requests as a nuisance. But we know that the CEO is on our side and that the rise of our department is part of her agenda. Our boss encourages us to be more aggressive. Until the quarterly data comes in and our fight is pushed off the agenda by issues that don’t concern us. Because our competitor has just launched a World Migratory Bird Day campaign that we have to neutralize. And at that very moment, our boss, the one who told us that we had to fight tooth and nail, is dwarfed by the teams attacking us and leaves us there, at the mercy of the lions, in a losing battle. We could have sensed it, but we didn’t want to believe it. We saw the cardboard boxes of our comrades, those who dared to go against the message, or who did not even know what they were doing, and of those who did not let us say goodbye. As if they had died. Collision with bus. We could have seen it in our boss’s disgruntled grimaces at any attempt at improvement that involved changing the system. In the people crying in the toilets. In a suicide note.
My favorite quote is that Churchill one that says, “money doesn’t change you, it discovers you.” And it is my favorite because money can be exchanged for different concepts, such as power, for example. That someone forgets his slogans, his principles, either to make more money or to win more votes, shows what kind of person he is. And the problem, indeed, is that person’s problem, that leader’s problem. But it will affect more those who are below and have placed their trust in him (or in her), and feel foolish when the people are on top of them, and watch in disbelief the response of this leader who not only will not stand up for them but will completely dissociate himself from them in order to continue on his path of ascent. And there they are, on the other side of the TV or newspaper, those who at the time fled without being understood by their peers, because their sense of smell and their dignity told them that it was not going well and that it was going to get worse, regardless of money, status or privileges. And they watch or read the news with sadness, with regret but also with a twisted grimace. Because indeed, power discovers people. And the key is to neutralize them before it reaches them. So as not to play into the hands of the bad guys.