Leadership in times of trend
In a time when application icons have turned into leadership keyboards, and we now evaluate the performance of leaders by the number of their appearances and not by the number of their achievements, a new generation of managers has been created that can be called “X-Leaders.” Those who mastered the art of appearing before achieving, and realized early on that what is more important is for people to see you busy, not for you to actually be busy.
If you activated a follow notification for one of these leaders on the “X” platform, you would see amazement. A continuous series of likes and retweets that does not subside, focusing mainly on what the Communications and Media Department publishes. Pictures of receptions, tweets of celebrations, and shots of handshakes all receive more attention than any strategic report or feasibility study. Hardly a minute of their official work day is devoid of interaction with these posts, as if true leadership lies in the number of “likes” monitored by the media team’s news.
What is striking, even surprising, is that these leaders suddenly turn into icons of professional discipline. They talk about commitment to work time, and appoint themselves as guardians of attendance and departure, while spending working hours in the mazes of social platforms. The double standards here do not need interpretation. A leader who finds it easy to waste his time browsing “X” for hours finds it difficult for his employees to be late for no more than five minutes.
These leaders’ concerns no longer revolve around key performance indicators or achieving strategic goals. The new standard for success has become “number of impressions.” How many times did you appear in tweets? How many reactions did your photos receive at the last celebration? Did the media team cover your field visit as required? On the other hand, quarterly reports pass without anyone looking at them, and major goals are absent under the pressure of searching for a better photographic angle.
An ironic paradox, as the “X” platform, which reduces ideas into 280 characters, has now also reduced leadership.
A leader is no longer known by the size of his achievement, but by the size of his appearance. He is no longer measured by the quality of his decisions, but by the quality of his images. It is as if our institutions have turned into a large theater, where leaders play their roles in front of media cameras, while the original text of the play sleeps in the drawers of oblivion.
I do not know if these leaders realize that history does not record the number of appearances, but rather records real achievements, and that employees see the difference between those who are looking for an image and those who are looking for an impact. Although the “X” platform tempts with quick brilliance, it does not create leaders, it only creates distinguished viewers.
Perhaps it is time to ask: Do we need leaders looking for an appearance in “X,” or leaders looking for an achievement that will immortalize and benefit the nation and the citizen? Do we want managers whose passion is the number of likes, or whose passion is building organizations?
In the end, the “X” platform remains a beautiful tool for communication, but it becomes deadly when it turns into an end rather than a means, into an office rather than a platform, and into a standard for leadership rather than just a window for expression.
** **
– Dr. Khalid bin Salem Al-Harbi
