[Ohio]

Having just read a political commentary with the above title, a few comments were made that were quite fitting and appropriate for repeating here. I am going to take a few liberties to make this post more readable and hopefully purged of politics. It is my feeling that the comments apply to all in leadership roles. The quotes will be italicized and colored.

After mentioning a story of a politician with one of the hottest tempers around, the writer asks, "Should we care? I think we should. The most important measure of a human being is the way he or she treats other people, especially those under his or her power. By many accounts, Mr. X degrades and demeans them. And there's no excuse for it."

Interestingly, a sidebar to the article lists many "Notable bullies of our times," with nasty stories attached to each one.

The article continues with another politician, "We've all met people like Mr. Y; some of us have worked for folks like him. You don't want a boss who degrades, harangues and humiliates you. So why would you vote for one? Here you might reply that public officials are elected to, well, serve the public. So if their arrogant and domineering style gets staffers to work harder, it's good for all of us.

But let's leave aside the question of whether this style produces better results. Even if it did - and I have my doubts - it still would be wrong. Our lawmakers do more than simply make laws; they're supposed to represent us, in every sense of the word. By electing officials who demean their employees, we also demean ourselves."

Referring to another leader, he asks, "How much does personal virtue matter in public office? ... Presidents - more than anybody else - serve as symbols of us all; they embody our deepest beliefs, values and principles. We would never elect people who did physical harm to those under their charge. But we continue to elect verbal and emotional bullies, who can do just as much damage." -- JZ, professor NYU

Shouldn't we expect as much from LC leaders? Several times I have mentioned that the single most objectionable LC matter for me was the mistreatment of people, i.e. the program transformed beloved brothers into bullies. From the top down, far too many LC leaders have failed us in this regard ... and far too many loving shepherds have departed due to them.