Lead by Example

Parents often think that their biggest job is to love their children.  That is incorrect.   Loving your child is a given and is easy.   The biggest job of a parent is to be a role model for that child.  Teach them how to live a good and ethical life by example.

The same parallel is for leaders.  This applies is you are leading a small team of 3 or you are leader of the free world.  If you are a leader, lead by example.   Do not expect people under you to do something you are not prepared to do yourself.   I think fundamentally this is the problem that many of us have with Trump.  He sets a poor example.  He leads with fear and hypocrisy. 

When a politician is elected after a contentious campaign, they almost always give a humbling speech.  In that speech, they indicate that they will be the leader of all people, even the ones that voted for a different person.  They indicate they will unite the people.

Brian Pallister was elected Premier of Manitoba.   True disclosure.  I did not vote for him, however, I do believe in democracy.  It was difficult, but I accepted him as my Premier.  He pledged to be the leader of all people.

What was missing from his victory speech which is missing from a lot of victory speeches is that he is the servant of the people for his term of office.  Most politicians forget that.  We, the people, are actually the boss.  They work for us, even the ones who did not vote for them.  They are accountable to us for their actions.   Most of us work for 8 hours a day and we understand that we are accountable to our bosses, boards, etc for those 8 hours.   Politicians are accountable to us 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  That may seem harsh, but it is what they signed up.  No one put a gun to their head and forced them to run for office.  People do this knowing in advance what the job entails.

So, the Premier of my Province is accountable to me and everyone else in Manitoba.  If he is a good leader, he will also grasp the importance of leading by example.

I think that is why many people are upset with his long and frequent vacations in Costa Rica.  I do not think anyone says he does not deserve vacation.  (I, for example, wish he took more vacations.  I would prefer that over some of his actions.)  However, I think Manitobans believe that he should be leading by example and take his vacations in Manitoba.  We spend a lot of money promoting our province as a tourist destination.  What does it mean when our leader decides that it is not good enough for him.  It does not sit well for me.  He promotes Manitoba as a place to do business and tries to recruit new industry here.   Well, I think he should walk the walk.  If we are a good place to live, why do you need to leave us with such frequency.  As a public servant, you are setting a poor example.

Pallister and his government have spent much of the last year telling us that our health care system is broken and needs to be fixed.  Most people do agree with that, however, his methods of fixing it are controversial and many Manitobans are doing what is their right, protesting and expressing their opinion.  I understand why Pallister needs another vacation.  I am sure he is exhausted. 

Again, I wish he would chose to vacation in Manitoba, but, of course, that is never an option for him.  So, not only does he chose to go on a foreign vacation, but he chooses to engage in a wilderness hike that would take him approximately 7 hours.  Here is my problem with this.  I understand that the Premier is in excellent physical shape, however, he is not in his twenties anymore.  This was risky behavior.   If he is accountable to us, he needs to be above reproach.  He should not be engaging in such behavior.  At best, he is not leading by example.  At its worst, he is telling us that he really does not take his responsibilities as our leader seriously.

He ended up having a fractured arm and being lost on the trail.  His wife called the police after he did not show up where he was supposed to.  He was found quickly and it was reported that he was immediately flying home to Manitoba for medical treatment.  What a hypocrite.  So, our health care system is broken, but you come home for treatment.

Now, the Premier needs to rest for atleast 6 weeks and needs to be as immobile as possible.  So, that is atleast 6 weeks when he will not be able to perform the duties of his job to the best of his ability.  That probably should have factored in to his decision making before he embarked on this risky behavior.  He is accountable to us and should not have made a decision that may impact his ability to serve us.   Again, lead by example.

Finally, Pallister gives an interview on facebook with his wife.  Interesting how it is basically a feel good speech between the two of them.  I guess he does not want to face the questions of the people who is actuallly accountable to.   In this interview, he notes that two things kept him motivated while he was lost and injured.  The first was his family and the second was a beer waiting for him in his cooler.  I wonder where the people of Manitoba fell on that list.  I wonder if we even cracked the top 20.

Premier Pallister, I hope that Manitobans do follow your example.  I honestly hope that Manitobans show you the same respect and consideration that you show to us.