Recently, our chief of police here in Portland was fired. It has happened here before; as in any big city, the job of police chief is high profile and politically sensitive. Also common to big cities, the manner in which the police do their job is under seemingly constant public scrutiny and can be a topic of hot debate. On any given date, an event can take place that reignites that debate.
In a parting interview, the ousted chief commented on the challenges of leading the police department. One of the most difficult parts of the job, the chief said, was the constant struggle to balance the public’s expectations for police performance and accountability against the officers’ expectation that the chief is behind them, representing them, and defending them.
The chief’s struggle is a good example of a challenge all leaders face. I call it the balance of allegiance. In any organization, people who lead other people are asked to represent and defend the organization’s policies – and upper management decisions – to the employees who report to them. Those same leaders must also represent and defend the interests of their employees to upper management. Balancing the interests of these two groups can be conflicting, and striking the perfect balance is sometimes very difficult.
It’s especially challenging for leaders during lean times. When money is tight, those difficult organizational decisions mean that (best case) employees are taxed with much more to do with far less resources, and (worst case) employees may lose their jobs. You have to support the organization, but you also have to care for and support the people who work for you. What makes the balance of allegiance even more difficult is that not everyone will agree what the perfect balance is.
Top executives face the same balance of allegiance challenge. They are responsible to both the Board of Directors (in the chief’s case, the city council and the citizens they represent) and to the employees who report to them.
If you think about it, employees at any level of an organization also have to deal with the balance of allegiance. Support service employees, for example, have to balance the need to provide good customer service against the need to administer and regulate. Sales employees have to balance the need to get the best deal for their customers against the need for profitability.
The recent removal of the police chief is a reminder that leaders at all levels face balance of allegiance issues that require thoughtful attention and constant adjusting. Adding to the challenge is that there will always be people on both sides of the balance who never believe you are correctly balanced. However, leaders who can manage their own balance of allegiance issues skillfully are likely to foster a culture where their employees do, too. And that’s good for the organization.
What balance of allegiance issues do you face? In which direction do you need to adjust? As a leader, please constantly assess and adjust your balances of allegiance.
