U. S. Congress holding us Hostage?

For many years I have used a specific definition for leadership; “getting others to do what you want them to, willingly”. One may ask why this is important, it comes down to trust. Leaders must understand that often times those they lead are not given as much information as they are as the leader. In order to get those you lead to follow you, they must trust you. One of the best evaluations that can be used to check the effectiveness of a leader is to ask the question,”do you trust your leader?” In order to follow a leader, sometimes blindly, it requires trust. Trust is built by using good judgement, honesty, openness, and transparency. Although transparency is a word that brings many interpretations, one of the best ways to look at this definition is that a leader is not afraid to answer any question. No subject is off limits, the leader is looking for understanding from all those they lead. Sometimes the best answer is, “I can not discuss this at this time”. A leader that misleads those they lead, looses their trust. A leader that gives misinformation, no matter where that information came from, looses trust of those they lead as well. This comes down to how well you as a leader, check the information that is given to you, before you pass it on. Remember the most reliable information is directly from the source. If you are a leader or manager that makes decisions; you should never be afraid to verify and explain the rationale of any decision. If you cannot do that, then maybe your leadership responsibilities should be reevaluated.

This leads me to what this article is all about. The U. S. Congress is holding over 2.7 million federal employees hostage, according to CNN. Many of these individuals will be required to still work, without pay. Why is this being done? Because politicians what to forward specific agendas, and there is not other “leverage” that they can use to accomplish this goal. Due to Article 1 Section 6 of the U. S. Constitution, Congress still get paid. Many of the federal employees earn just enough to pay their expenses, I know first had, as I use to work for the Government. Let’s look at this from a leadership aspect. Do these Congressional members have the peoples trust? why is it they do not see how these actions affect others? Maybe they do, but they do not care. What is the message that is sent to the people of this country? Should these elected officials have the right to play roulette with lives of the people that are employed by them? Maybe it is time that the members of Congress be sent a message, become a better leader. Find whys to forward your political agendas without risking the very people that placed you in office. Maybe it is about time that a new Constitutional Amendment be started that requires Congressional Members to feel the same impact as those that elected them. In any other sector of business, could a leader still keep their leadership if they were treating those they lead in this same manner? It does not matter what side of the aisle you are on in this matter; the bottom line is one thing; this is about leadership, not politics. If a leader cannot be trusted they are ineffective. In any other organization, a leader that is ineffective is a wasted expense. Often this kind of expense is eliminated. Why is it this does not apply to Congress?

Ask yourself a question, do I trust the leaders that I have elected to Congress? If the answer is no, then it is time to change them. Keep in mind, the founding fathers of this country did not mean for the leaders to control the people, it was meant for the people to control the leaders.