Leadership Lessons from the Rise and Fall of Howard Dean

The rise and fall of Howard Dean is a story that will have a unique place in election history. He had the money. He had the “organization.” He had a fresh voice that had new ears listening to the political debate. Endorsements, polls, momentum, an enormous internet following.

What is it that Dr. Dean didn’t have? Delegates. Yet as he entered the month of January it seemed a Dean sweep was not only possible. In many circles it seemed likely.

Then came Iowa. And the I Have a Scream tirade. The nearly no-show in New Hampshire. And suddenly it seems the front runner will not survive February.

What a month.

Yes the political story will be told for years yet this is not a site about politics–it’s about leadership. Are there leadership lessons from the rise and fall of Howard Dean that you and I can apply to our journey to become more effective leaders?

When the full story of this political season is written, more will be understood. For now, regardless of whether or not Howard Dean is someone you admired or abhorred, here are three leadership lessons drawn from his January downfall for your consideration.

1. Popularity is Fleeting

Those new to leadership roles often struggle with the issue of popularity. Too often a new leader wants to be “liked.” Who doesn’t? Yet popularity is fleeting and rarely a pure leading indicator of success.

It’s not that Howard Dean sought popularity in the sense that most politicians do. He didn’t appear a slave to the polls that characterized, say, the Clinton administration. Yet many so-called Deaniacs projected his front runner status as an entitlement to nomination.

Popularity doesn’t work that way. It is all-too fleeting. A former mayor of a small, suburban Chicago town once told me of his experience. “If I went to a dinner party of 10 people during my first year in office, 2 people wouldn’t like me. I don’t know why–they just didn’t. In my second year, 4 out of 10 wouldn’t like me. In my third, 6 out of 10, and by the end of my term, 8 out of 10 people wouldn’t like me. I finally came to the conclusion that the general public has the right to see things in black and white. Yet when you’re in leadership, you have to see the shades of gray.”

Leadership is hard work. As the air gets thinner with altitude so do the leader’s problems become more complex, with more ambiguity and shades of gray. Situations change. Saddam gets captured and suddenly the anti-war platform seems less relevant. In Career Warfare: 10 Rules for Building a Successful Personal Brand and Fighting to Keep It, author David F. D’Alessandro Rule 9 aptly states, “The Higher You Fly, The More You Will Be Shot At.”

In mid-January Dean fought back saying he was tired of being the “pin cushion.” Welcome to one of the dirty little secrets of leadership. There’s more “pin cushion” than most prospective leaders understand until they sit in the lonely office they aspired to. As Patrick Lencioni’s fable The Five Temptations of a CEO clearly teaches, we cannot choose popularity over accountability. And as Howard Dean’s January clearly showed us, you cannot count on popularity being sustainable for the long term.

2. The Value (and Liability) of Being an Outsider

Much of Dean’s early appeal was his message of being an outsider–free from the lobotomy that comes with extended time within the Beltway. The outsider status fueled a formidable grassroots tidal wave of support.

Yet the leader-as-outsider can only go so far. When electability became a key issue in Iowa, suddenly the outsider status started playing against him. Though endorsements by higher profile insiders came in steadily as 2003 ended, some pundits believe those very endorsements were the spark that began the implosion of the Dean campaign. Suddenly the outsider branding was getting watered down.

Leaders cannot over-estimate their need to develop support systems, from within and without. Dean needed more than the Deaniacs–he needed Washington insiders to seal the deal. In our areas of influence this teaches us we must proactively work at developing the relationships we need to be successful. So much of our success is based on relationships. The effective leader must develop those relationships to nurture the buy-in and support that will inevitably be required for sustainable success.

3. The Importance of Passion…in it’s Place

Howard Dean has undeniable passion. It’s a characteristic that drew many to his camp. Yet as with all of us, our greatest strength taken to an extreme can take us down.

Personally I think the fallout from the post-Iowa caucus “hooting and hollering” speech was out of line. News channels played it over and over, rivaling in frequency even the delousing reels of Saddam after his capture! Dean was definitely over the top but a reasonably analysis of his smile after the rant made it clear this was a pep rally, not an anger management therapy session. I believe the re-runs ad nauseum was a matter of the insiders taking advantage of an opportunity to slap the outsider silly.

Yet the lesson remains for us as leaders. Too many executives think it better they be Mr. Spock than Dr. McCoy. We must show passion–we must give people a reason to listen. Yet passion in the extreme can be motivating to some but downright creepy to others. In our passion we must also exercise self-control.

It’s not clear to me that a more humble speech that night would have allowed Dean to conquer New Hampshire. Yet experience has taught me time and again that passion + self control is a formula for motivating with credibility.

There are countless lessons yet to be drawn from this year’s Presidential campaign. As the year unfolds I invite you to filter the events through your leadership development lenses, gleaning practical lessons as you seek to be a more effective leader, for the journey, not just the campaign.