CNN Reports that Secretary of State Tillerson is having difficulty staffing the State Department with key positions because of loyalty sensitivities at the White House (http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/politics/white-house-tillerson-uncomfortable-meeting/index.html.

Having worked as a State Department diplomat, an Army Officer, and private sector businessman, I have always valued loyalty, candor, and openness in working relationships.  And, I have always understood it’s a two-way street.  We all have bosses no matter what level we occupy in our professional lives.  Matters of loyalty, respect for one another, trust and confidence in the people that you work for, or work for you, is normally, I’ve come to believe, an “earned” relationship.

Trusting your people and giving them the benefit of the doubt has always been a key part of what I deem as effective leadership.  No leader of a large organization can make every decision or become mired down in second guessing every action of his or her subordinates – who yes, at times, make honest mistakes.  A good leader provides vision, guidance, and direction toward goals and objectives.  In circumstances where a team member appears to have deviated from guidance and intent of a given policy, the first reaction of an intelligent leader should be patience.  The initial assumption should be that the folks on the team will make the right choices and decisions within the context of the overall intent of the organization’s mission.  When the appearance is that may not have happened, the first reaction should be that given the circumstances of the moment, the right decision was made based on the options available.  Trust and confidence in your folks to “do-the-right-thing” until proven differently is an attribute that builds loyalty, trust, and every other key attribute that’s normally identified with effective teams.   

I have continued to hear this need for loyalty within President Trump’s circle of influence.  Where care must be taken here is in the danger of becoming so loyal that you become a “yes-man or yes-woman.”  No senior leader needs a bunch of yes-men (or women) around him / her.  Having folks around who tell you how great you are and what a wonderful leader you are may stroke your ego, but it does not build loyalty that is healthy, conducive  to mutual respect, or an effective organization.  If ego stroking is what you need, you’re probably not a good candidate to lead people.  If you are paranoid and have an unhealthy lack of trustworthiness in the people on your team, and this is the root of a warped need of what you define as loyalty, you are likely on the road to manipulation by your enemies and ultimate failure.

I assert people should be loyal to their bosses as a matter of good form since it is your boss’s time to lead and your time to support him / her.  It is your role to make your boss successful.  But, when an environment of yes-men (women) exists, the enterprise becomes dysfunctional.  Mutual respect, loyalty, trust, and confidence up “AND” down the chain of command are key attributes of successful and healthy organizations.  It is created through the actions of both leaders and subordinates that have integrity, trust, and mutual support for one another.  Demands for loyalty, an earned attribute, smells like a need for ego stroking yes-men (women).  Good folks will not stay in this kind of an environment. 

The last thing President Trump, SECSTATE Tillerson, or any other leader needs around them are yes-men (women).  But, if this prerequisite of loyalty is code for yes-men (women) within the executive branch, the POTUS and his team will have excessive turnover and a hard time getting and keeping quality people to fill key positions – positions we as Americans need to have filled to ensure our national security and interests are responsibly lead.

Run from the leader that demands you to kiss his ring!

Vote Utah Bull Moose Party – U.S. Senate 2018