Should ex-leaders keep out of the spotlight?
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In the past week alone, Boris Johnson spoke at COP27, Barack Obama joined Biden’s campaign trail and today Matt Hancock will trade his constituents for reality TV.
Love them or loathe them, as a society we clearly struggle to shake off our ex-leaders. Rolf Merchant argues that once a leader’s time is up their time in the spotlight should be too, whereas Lucy Thompson argues there is merit in keeping them around a while longer.
YES
Once a leader’s time in charge is over, they would do well to exit stage right, running – be they in business or politics.
That doesn’t mean they have to retire completely. Ex-leaders are well-placed to operate from the shadows, not in the spotlight. They can still be huge assets as advisers, offering present leaders sage words in the background.
Regardless of who said it, all political lives end in failure. Perhaps this is why former politicians are so keen to get back into political debate. They want to change – or set – their legacy, in some cases rehabilitate their reputation if they left office under a cloud.
But let’s be honest: no one wants to hear from a has-been. I’d wager the appearance of Tony Blair and John Major on the remain side in the Brexit debate did more harm than good. And after a Caribbean holiday cut short, is there much merit in Boris Johnson, who has a mixed climate legacy himself, using COP27 to portray his time in office as the high point in climate action?
Former politicians should be encouraged to join debates – but they should do so behind the scenes. This is the point – they are better as advisers advising, not leaders trying to lead.
The experience of business highlights this. Former CEOs might write a book, appear in the odd podcast, or work the conference circuit. Yet most know better than to try to influence their former business via public interventions. (They are helped, no doubt, by the fact a CEO is more likely to finish the job in positive circumstances than a politician!)
Some former business leaders take up NED or consultant roles – again, here they are advising, not leading. As is the case with politicians, this is where they can be truly valuable.
Perhaps an underrated leadership skill is knowing when to let someone else have a go.
NO
I mean if all ex-leaders were condemned to the shadows, this season’s I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! was going to be pretty dull, wasn’t it?
But seriously, while no declines are equal and not all ex-leaders should be listened to (particularly ones who have their mouths full with kangaroo testicles), there is a place in society and the spotlight for legitimate former public figures.
While our faith in their talents may have faded, previous leaders were elected for a reason. Lyndon Johnson’s speechwriter Bob Hardesty said it best, ‘[Former U.S. presidents are] a squandered national resource. One minute they are standing at the pinnacle of power… and then we dump them unceremoniously on the rubbish heap of history.’
Essentially his point and the point I am making is that when we toss past leaders to the curb, we also toss out their lifetime of knowledge, political know-how and unique ability to navigate the spotlight.
One example is Tony Blair. While there is good reason to scrutinise his past decisions, he actually won elections and retains a gift of communication that no one in Labour’s ranks has yet been able to match. Why shouldn’t he use his platform to impart what knowledge he has – surely, he’s more qualified to speak on policy than your average armchair politician?
Equally, while Boris Johnson’s appearance at COP27 was characteristically self-serving, he tackled the issue of climate reparations head-on (unlike his successor) and his comments about not going ‘wibbly-wobbly on net zero’ was a much needed push for the government.
There is a reason the private sector welcomes ex-leaders warmly into the shadows – they leave an important legacy and their words continue to carry weight. As much as we might want to subject them to oblivion, their interventions make headlines and this is invaluable in an over-saturated media world. Thus, we shouldn’t discourage leaders from leaning into the spotlight and using their voice to draw attention to global challenges.
In the business world, we’ve seen Bill Gates, the ruthless Microsoft co-founder, step away from the company and now he is leveraging his leadership skills as a global humanitarian leader. Another example is the One America Appeal which was founded by five living former US presidents from across the political spectrum and raised $41.3 million for the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
So, maybe we shouldn’t be so hasty to subject former leaders to the wilderness. They can have a positive impact beyond good reality TV.
By Rolf Merchant, Director at Audley and Lucy Thompson, Senior Associate at Audley
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