There’s a video clip making the rounds in Trinidad and Tobago of a Government Minister, ranting. He wasn’t venting. He was just vomiting out everything he actually thought about specific people and named races. It was difficult to listen to but after I was literally shaking my head, as if I didn’t want the words to actually get into my head, I contemplated this: we, the people, have little control over preventing this and any other Minister, from presenting in a particular kind of way, even if that way might be offensive to many.
Acceptance is a hard pill to swallow
Talking and expressing outrage is necessary to a point but our rants about his rants won’t change anything.
It is a hard truth that waiting for a “perfect” leader—especially in politics—is usually a recipe for perpetual frustration. When leaders fall short of our expectations, it often leaves us feeling cynical or powerless because, as you noted, we have very little direct control over their individual choices.
I found this solution – Vote for “Lease,” Not “Life” – a particularly interesting one
It encourages us, especially when it comes to politics, to think of our vote like a bus route, not a marriage proposal.
You aren’t looking for “The One”; you’re looking for the person going closest to your destination. This shift in mindset prevents the crushing heartbreak that comes when a leader inevitably reveals their flaws.
Outside of politics, I am leaning toward this suggestion made during The Game Changing Attorney Podcast featuring John C. Maxwell:
This is an exercise in and of itself, requiring repetition until perhaps it’s ingrained in our psyches:
Practice “Aggressive Realism”
Disappointment is the gap between expectation and reality. By lowering the expectation that a leader should be a moral or intellectual “savior,” you protect your mental health. View leaders as functional tools rather than moral avatars. If they aren’t doing the job, look for the next “tool” that might work better, but don’t tie your personal peace or sense of hope to their success.
Admittedly it’s easier said than done. We get frustrated. Leaders can be infuriating yet as we navigate, we must always consider whether something is in our control or not. If we have no control then ranting beyond a reasonable time ceiling is a drain on our energy quietly eroding time that we will never get back.
Strategic Reflection Prompt
Where are you expecting perfection from a leader… and how is that expectation shaping your frustration, your reactions, and the amount of energy you keep giving to something you don’t control?
I’m Giselle Hudson, The Pre-Fixer™.
For nearly three decades, I’ve worked with business owners and leaders across the Caribbean who carry important decisions largely on their own, often when problems keep returning, solutions fall short, or implementation stalls.
When I ask business owners what problem they can’t seem to solve, the answer is usually “people.” So I ask them to tell me more, because people and businesses are rarely as simple as they first appear.
I help them understand what’s really causing the problem before they spend more trying to fix it. And where needed, I help design the solution and guide their teams to put it into practice.
Get Clarity before the Fix.
What are you trying to make sense of right now?
