LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS OVER LUNCH

<ahref="https://www.vecteezy.com/freephotos/food">Food Stock photos by Vecteezy</a>

In a recent presentation on the “Crisis of Leadership” that I delivered to an audience of NDIS and Aged Care Providers at a Nexus 42 conference, I introduced the concept of the “silent regulator”. The delegates were well aware of the “real regulator”, the respective bodies that govern each of their industries. But they were interested to learn more about the “silent regulator,” which often operates at odds with what business leaders are trying to achieve, especially when it comes to organizational change.

The silent regulator is, of course, the organization’s culture, which is sometimes aligned but often resistant to change because it is an ingrained way of being and acting.

Over lunch a few of the delegates asked me questions. I share a couple of the questions and answers here:

Q: What is the difference between culture and leadership? Don’t the leaders create the culture?

Rather than explaining it, I illustrated it with an example by telling the questioner a story about ex- Australian Prime Minister John Howard when he was in office. Whether you liked his politics or not, I am sure you will agree that this story really demonstrates how leadership can shape culture and how culture can shape leadership. It also shows how leaders can use the DEAL don’t LEAD strategy for influence coming in my soon to be released book Emotional Judo® 2: DEAL don’t LEAD – Influence Skills.

On 28 April 1996 a deranged gunman, Martin Bryant, killed 35 people and wounded 23 others, in the deadliest massacre in modern Australian history. Bryant went on a shooting spree with two semi-automatic rifles at Port Arthur, a tourist town in the Australian state of Tasmania.

In the wake of the tragedy, then Prime Minister, John Howard's government enacted significant changes to Australian gun laws. These changes included a national firearms registry, a 28-day waiting period for firearm sales, and stricter licensing rules. The government also established a firearm buyback program for weapons that were once legal but were now made illegal.

Before this event, according to Stanford University professor, John Donohue, Australia actually had a much higher mass shooting problem than the US, per capita. But due to Howard’s actions, it effectively went from a big problem to virtually zero.

This is a great example of how a leader can shape culture. By far, the majority of Australians supported Howard’s proposition, and the country has enjoyed the benefits of avoiding mass shooting sprees since that time.

But here is where the culture can shape the leaders and where leaders need to be determined and have great skills of influence and persuasion.

Many of the people who opposed Howard’s policy were people who had voted him into office. They were mainly conservative people from rural Australia, represented by the National Party, the long-standing coalition partner of the Liberal (Howard’s) Party.

The various politicians in this party, tried to negotiate to get reduced laws because they were concerned they would lose political favour. Tim Fischer, the leader of the Nationals stood by Howard and the pair did not waver despite death threats and intense opposition. The culture of guns to that time had shaped Howard's leadership and neither Howard or Fischer were prepared to dilute something of such significance for personal gain.

When Howard addressed a throng of 80,000 protestors in Sydney, he wore a bulletproof vest and the crowd burned an effigy of Tim Fischer.

In corporate organisations, where we are not talking about life and death decisions (though we could be talking about the viability of a company), this crowd would be part of the “silent regulator,” because mostly in that setting the dissent lies under cover. If you have not influenced the majority to buy into the change, the “silent regulator” can often start to influence and erode the change efforts, and the status quo holds.

Howard’s determination, influence and persuasion skills  as well as the ability to take difficult conversation to win/win outcomes were pivotal elements of his success on the matter, despite strong opposition from within his own ranks. These are the very skills, we train in Emotional Judo®.

The person who asked me the question is currently undertaking a start-up organization but has worked in a very large institution before. Start-ups are definitely a time when leadership can shape the culture to really benefit the growth and positive direction of an organization. Alas, in quickly growing organizations, this sometimes gets missed, requiring a readjustment of the culture somewhere down the track.  

Sculpting organizational culture intentionally is very important from organizational inception, as opposed to haphazard cultural evolution.

Another delegate asked…

Out of the 7 Cs you showed us, what is the most important for a leader to focus on?

I had used the metaphor of a catamaran charting a course across the seven seas (7 Cs) in my presentation.

My answer is that they are all important to address but there is one standout to my mind. While you need good vision and strategy  your ability to engage your “crew/collaborators” (staff) and have them perform well is the hallmark of great leadership. Superior performance will help leaders achieve their vision and at the same time it will shape the culture positively.

Being able to influence change and have difficult yet vital conversations with your staff, so you can manage the change process adeptly, are critical for your success as a leader/ manager in any business. Influence and Vital Conversations are two key Emotional Judo® skill sets.

Check out https://www.emotionaljudo.com/corporate-training to find details.

If you have any leadership or culture other questions, I’d love to answer them.

© Tim Higgs 2025

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