Washington DC
I often praised Myanmar's civilian leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi over the years. It's been a bitter pill to swallow, however, to see that she has become an apologist for - if not an enabler of - her nation's brutal embrace of nationalism and ethnic violence against the Rohingya.
The U.S. Holocaust Museum announced yesterday that it has reversed its decision to grant the annual Elie Wiesel Human Rights Award to Suu Kyi, in lieu of her profound, troubling lapse of judgment and good character. Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch told The Financial Times last week that Suu Kyi "is proving to be the wrong person at the wrong time for Myanmar."
I often praised Myanmar's civilian leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi over the years. It's been a bitter pill to swallow, however, to see that she has become an apologist for - if not an enabler of - her nation's brutal embrace of nationalism and ethnic violence against the Rohingya.
The U.S. Holocaust Museum announced yesterday that it has reversed its decision to grant the annual Elie Wiesel Human Rights Award to Suu Kyi, in lieu of her profound, troubling lapse of judgment and good character. Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch told The Financial Times last week that Suu Kyi "is proving to be the wrong person at the wrong time for Myanmar."
Isn't matching leader with context among the best predictors of organizational success? I'm puzzled by how frequently organizations and executive
search firms fail to understand the critical importance of leadership fit.
Perhaps some search committees are simply too close to their organizations to
understand the real context, view it all objectively and find the best
possible match.
Whatever the reasons,
we too often see talented, capable people - let alone less qualified folks -
placed in leadership contexts and cultures for which they are ill suited. The
misalignment, which can be immediately obvious to some employees and observers, can consume years of wasted time and opportunity costs before it is corrected, hopefully by choosing a new leader who better fits the organization, the
culture and the leadership moment.
Of course, no board
of directors or search firm appointed Suu Kyi. Politics is a very different
game, especially at the level of disregard and brutality found in the former Burma.
Nonetheless, the principles of effective leadership placement and development
remain the same. The situation in
Myanmar vividly illustrates the perils of doing otherwise.
Image courtesy of Stuart Duncan.