Don’s at it again in his candid and frank no holds bared way, on the topic of leadership and rhetoric verses reality. Leads to the question of what Don calls cheerleading and the cheerleader effect. Not exactly what your thinking so read on.

“Cultures even evolve a system of incentives that only award behavior that is seen as favorable in maintaining the status-quo. For whatever reasons, everyone gets caught up to do whatever it takes to keep the victory celebration going. Over time "committing the truth" is not an accepted norm if it contradicts positive themes.”

Stay Oriented!

Fred

Cheerleading syndrome

In response to the On Leadership question: Federal budget: Can we handle the truth?

I would rephrase the question this way: Do Americans have the leaders that will deliver the painful truth about government budget deficits -- that getting them under control will require both tax increases and cuts in government services -- or will the Washington establishment reject any leader who dares to deliver it?

Over time nations take one of two evolutionary routes: They either continue to adapt with changing environmental conditions in order to sustain core beliefs, or they become complacent, resting on their laurels. In the latter case, success has led to isolation in a changing environment. Choosing the easy wrong over the hard right dominates. Decisions based on facts and assumptions that led to success become dated. In turn the nation fails to demand critical analysis from its leaders.

The right course of action may in fact force leaders to make hard choices and, in turn, to ask followers to change their accepted habits and even make sacrifices. The other option is doing nothing, keeping things as they are while pretending to do something through colorful rhetoric and complicated PowerPoint presentations. In order to justify doing nothing or making hard choices a culture adapts the cheerleading effect.

The cheerleading effect happens when the only acceptable message is a positive one. Everyone wants the party to go on, even after they have forgotten what the celebration was for. Over time, cheerleading transforms history into a one-sided view supporting the current accepted message. It becomes a cultural norm as it accompanies and justifies complacency.

Continue reading at the Washington Post