Yesterday was the day the City of Toronto gained the world’s media attention for all the wrong reasons. On social media I called it a Day of Shame for the City of Toronto. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has admitted that he used crack cocaine while in office in one of his drunken stupors. As student of leadership I believe the saga of Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford offers us a number of important lessons on leadership. If you are looking to enhance your career or aspiring for leadership roles you should take notes from the Rob Ford saga.

1. 101 Leadership Lessons from a Drunken Stupor
What a day it was in the City of Toronto yesterday?
Yesterday was the day the City of Toronto gained the world’s media attention for all the wrong reasons.
On social media I called it a Day of Shame for the City of Toronto. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has admitted
that he used crack cocaine while in office in one of his drunken stupors.As student of leadership I believe
the saga of Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford offers us a number of important lessons on leadership.If you are
looking to enhance your career or aspiring for leadership roles you should take notes from the Rob Ford
saga.
Trustworthy
A leader must be trustworthy. A leader must operate with integrity and fundamental ethical behaviour
and values. We may follow a leader who lacks a clear vision, plan or goals as long as we are confident he
or she is working to develop or refine these key requirements of leadership. However, the minute we
determine we are unable to trust a leader we will be cautious with our support. As the mayor of
Canada’s largest city, Rob Ford hascreated a trust deficit and as long as he remains mayor his focus will
be to re-establish the trust with the people of the City of Toronto.Creativity, hopefulness trust and
honesty are attributes of effective leadership but honesty and trust areperhaps the key.
Communicate frequently and with precision
A key success factor for leaders is effective communication. Leaders must communicate frequently and
with precision to promote transparency and openness. Mr. Ford was far from being transparent and
opened when news of a video allegedly showing him smoking crack cocaine first surfaced earlier in the
year.
A leader that wants to be taken seriously must lead with a steady hand and calming voice. Mayor Rob
Ford is clearly not the best or most effective communicator. For want of better word Mr. Ford lacks
stage presence. When facing the media whether it is to answer questions on his support for transit or
his use of crack cocaine he sometimes loses his cool. Leaders must be patient. A leader must take time
to explain complex actions in a simple manner. For an official to face the public to admit the use of drugs
it is not an easy task. It takes courage and guts. However as difficult as it may be, Rob Ford need to
explain his abnormal behaviour in a manner that will make the public understand.
He should speak bluntly about his behaviour without offending others such other city councillors, the
police, business leaders and the general public including the media. By speaking bluntly he can open a
window for descending views and allow room for dialogue and discourse. He should have a polite and
open discussion on why he will not seek a leave of absence or resigned as mayor.I think this approach
would please those who may disagreed or oppose Mr. Ford as well as it will please his supporters who
are looking for clarity. The public is yearning to understanding Mr. Ford’s motivation for smoking crack

2. cocaine.He clearly enjoys grassroot support in Ford Nation and if he speaks bluntly and honestly may be
able to commence the healing process.
Aura that displays confidence
Strong leaders are decisive and courageous and display an aura of confidence. They display a sense of
conviction to implement what they believe is the right thing, when they could have taken the easy or
popular way out. This makes people respect and trust them even if they disagree. Mr. Ford is clearly not
the most confident leader I have seen on displayed particularly during a state of crisis even if it is a
personal crisis.Mr. Ford aura conveys a bit of vulnerability that let him appear like the average Joe Public
and it is perhaps this visible vulnerability that drives his popularity.
Performance
Performance is a key success factor for a leader. No one should think that the job of politician is an easy
one. It is devilishly difficult, requiring dedication, diligence, discipline and devotion as well as effort
demanded by few other pursuits. Throughout the unfolding of the saga surrounding Mayor Rob Ford, he
is constantly reminding Torontonians that he is protecting taxpayers and saving taxpayers money. He
constantly refers to his deep love for the City of Toronto and its people. An outstanding leader is a
person who willing to serve and fulfill the interests of others above and beyond personal interests. It is
unclear to me whether Mr. Ford is putting his personal interest such as his love for the city and deep
rooted belief that he is only one capable for ruling Toronto as mayor at this time ahead of true interest
of the citizens of Toronto. As this is Canada, a country rooted in freedom and democracy no one would
like to think we are capable of having a city being led by a leader might be sliding towards despotic
behaviour.
Yesterday as I listened to various call-in programs on radio and television I was amazed by the number
of people that said the mayor should be given a second chance. Numerous callers said the mayor was
doing a good job and that his work has not been affected by his use of alcohol or crack cocaine.During
the summer I was at a barbecue and I overheard two ladies speaking about Rob Ford. They said that the
elites in Toronto are trying to get rid of Mayor Rob Ford but they can’t because he is doing a good job.
They said he is only one in Toronto helping poor people by creating jobs for inner city youths and
address the dilapidated conditions in the city’s community housing. The bottom line is as the Ford saga
is unfolding his job performance is clearly not an issue.
Build a team
One of the hallmarks of strong leaders is that they always surround themselves with a strong support
team. Clearly Mr. Ford’s trust deficit does not and is not likely to inspire loyalty and make city councillors
and others feel confident in his leadership. They are more likely now to be less relaxed and may see the
need to be more protective and even combative. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair for example is unlikely to
have any confidence in the mayor. The Chief is on record as saying he is ashamed the evidence
uncovered relating to the mayor’s behaviour as a public servant.

3. An important point not be overlooked when speak of leadership and the importance fostering an
effective team is that a damaged leader hurts the entire team. Doug Ford’s reputation is also intimately
tied to the mayor’s demise. As mayor’s brother and strongest supporter was he aware of the mayor’s
behaviour?
In the Ford saga there are some unanswered questions which in my view are likely to hurt Toronto
Police Chief and the Toronto Police’s reputation. Given the extensive police surveillance techniquesand
the abundance of evidence I would have expected that if it was anyone else the police would have
charged and arrested the suspect. Therefore there are a number of unanswered questions. For example,
why was the mayor not arrested and charged? Are politicians treated differently than other citizens by
law enforcement? Is the police serving as proxies for Mr. Ford’s political opponents? No matter what the
answers are to these questions, a damaged leader such as Mr. Rob Ford hurts the entire team and in
this case there is some damages done to the Police Chief and his investigators.
A damage leader hurts the team and the organisation or establishment.
Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well
as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor. He can be contacted by
email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog
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