If you’ve read sociology, you’ve probably read Max Weber. Weber (1864—1920), one of the founders of the discipline of sociology, is the update to Machiavelli. Weber's brief pamphlet, Politics as a Vocation, is the best prescription for politics, especially the politics of the past two years. So, I was both amused and delighted by a brief article in the 1/24 issue of The Economist on Max Weber’s enduring wisdom. Lecturing in the midst of German turmoil of 1918, The Economist emphasizes how his insights still make sense of politics.
Germany was in a far worse state than our Trump world. Rival Berlin factions battled for power in the streets. Several leaders were murdered. On January 28th of that year, Max Weber lectured liberal students “On Politics as a Vocation,” one of the most important contributions to modern political theory, as valuable a map to the contemporary political landscape as it was 100 years ago. (The thirty-page pamphlet is available free on the web, via Google.)
Weber was contemptuous of leaders solely determined to stick to their principles, whatever the consequences. “This ethic of conviction was the hallmark of saints, pacifists and purist revolutionaries...
And so, the true political leader has a cause and is characterized by passion, a sense of responsibility and a sense of proportion. He or she understands that policies must achieve significant results. And that some compromise and deception are inevitable. And sometimes that compromise is with evil. Weber would wholehearted reject today’s notion of “principle-centered leadership.”
Principle-centered leadership?
From the first time, years ago, that I heard about servant leadership—a business form of principle centered leadership--I have remained cynical of such formulations. It was actually because of my heavy religious background and professional church experience that I long since rejected servant leadership and other similar notions as pious clap-trap. I learned to pay attention to what I see and not what people are saying and the lovely values and sentiments they are expressing. And that, for example, goes for the works of Bill George, former Medtronic CEO and now Harvard Professor who writes about servant leadership and authenticity. Stanford’s Jeff Pfeffer writes about (Leadership BS, p. 36) a conversation with an exec who had worked with George at Medtronic. His response to Pfeffer, who questioned him about George’s writings, was that the Bill George who had worked his way up the hierarchy at Medtronic and then ran the firm, were not quite the same. And another responded that “the ideas in True North are undoubtedly closer to what he currently believes than to the behavior he engaged in while he was there (Medtronic).”
Leadership consultants, as a rule, mostly advocate behavior consistent with how good parents raise their children—and congruent with universal and religious human values. But business and family are two very different and unique contexts. So that comparison is deeply flawed.
A very important caveat
I believe that it’s very important in the early years of our career to learn, understand, and even use principles. It also goes along with our youthful idealism. Early on, many think of principles as a matter of proficiency and perfection. I call it the “performance principle.” “I’m good because I stick to my principles, because I do this kind of work, or because the company recognizes me as a high performer.” That’s the calculus the ego understands. The human psyche needs this kind of common sense structure in the early years of our life.
But that game has to fall apart or it will kill you—and your family. In the second half of our lives, many of us learn that following principles just doesn’t always work. And that if we try, they will kill us. Life and the world are simply too complex and too conflicted for principles to work all the time. In fact, sometimes you learn that you have to behave badly and forget the rules and principles in order to do good and achieve the more important objectives. You get to the place in mature adulthood where principle-centered thinking is largely irrelevant. You trust yourself! With that kind of reality structure you’re freed to move toward your larger, true self, where you don’t need to prove yourself to anyone.
Pfeffer summarizes it this way: “Making change, improving situations, getting things done, winning in very competitive environments, often requires being willing and able to engage in behaviors and exhibit qualities that some people might find repugnant.”