{"id":638,"date":"2008-03-11T12:53:33","date_gmt":"2008-03-11T12:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/leadership-and\/"},"modified":"2008-03-11T12:53:33","modified_gmt":"2008-03-11T12:53:33","slug":"leadership-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/leadership-and\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership and Eliot Spitzer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Spitzer_2\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

I’m sure you’ve heard the news<\/a>.  <\/p>\n

This post is not political.  This post is about leaders (like Eliot Spitzer) and those who follow him\/her.  Mr. Spitzer’s family, specifically his wife, have been failed.  Not in a small way.  If Mr. Spitzer had forgotten an anniversary, you might accuse him of being forgetful or neglectful.  This however, is much greater in magnitude.<\/p>\n

The picture of Mr. Spitzer’s wife is telling.  Is she just another woman grappling with a man who betrayed?  Is she a woman who wonders what’s next?  More than likely, she is dealing with those questions and more.  Followers are left with the backwash of the leader’s poor decisions.<\/p>\n

Ms. Spitzer was meant to follow her husband, as Mr. Spitzer was meant to follow his wife.  Leadership flows both ways in a marriage.  For example, Mr. Sptizer asked his wife to follow him as he rose through the ranks of New York politics.  I imagine (can’t know for sure) she did because she trusted him and the words that fell from his mouth.  When a leader violates trust, tragedy is not far behind.<\/p>\n

Up til now you might be thinking I’ve been pretty hard on Mr. Spitzer.  I’m not.  Mr. Spitzer is a warning sign for all of us who consciously lead.  And that’s why I’m using his story.  I see great similarities between Mr. Spitzer and organizational leaders who blow the smoke of "we care" and "people are our most important asset" when they know that lay-offs are coming.  Followers are priceless and fragile, we’d all do well to remember that fact.  <\/p>\n

Here’s a list of what might<\/em><\/strong> have caused Mr. Spitzer to fall:<\/p>\n