London, most memorably pictured stuck on a zipwirewaving miniature Union Jacks. Eight years on, they lead the United States of America and the United Kingdom respectively. And while I conceptualised Prozac Leadership before their ascents, these twomen, and their actions throughout the Covid-19 crisis, encapsulate the theory. Johnson is the archetypal Prozac leader. Most people in 2012might have known himas a host or panellist on the BBCTV showHave I Got News For You, where his jovial buffoon personafitted perfectly. But as PrimeMinister, he remains forever looking on the bright side, spreading positive cheer and optimism. Covid challenged this profoundly, even beyond the strain the virus has placed on his government and his own health. Johnson, inmuch the same ‘strongman’ mentality as Trump, believed himself personally invulnerable, but after boasting about shaking the hands of Covid patients, hecontracted the virusand nearly died during a threenight stay in the Intensive Care Unit of St Thomas’ hospital. Trump’s positivity can be traced to his childhood attendance of New York’s Marble Collegiate Church, where Norman Vincent Peale preached " The Power of Positive Thinking" – a key US influence in the emergence of Prozac leadership. Although Peale's ideas have been debunked, Trump cites him as a formative influence, and in his book, the Art of the Deal, argues that "exaggerating the positive" is a "very effective form of promotion." Prozac leadership encourages leaders to believe their own narratives that everything is going well and discourage followers from raising problems or admittingmistakes. We have seen examples in the UK during the Covid-19 lockdown whenDominic Cummings made his trip to Barnard Castle and with themistakes made with the algorithm for assessing A-Level results – caused by students being unable to sit their exams. In both cases, the key governmentalfigures have not resigned, have admitted no fault, and have – in the case of A-Levels – sought to assign blame to others. Even while we have had civil servants resigning over a series of issues, those in power do not admit their mistakes, do not step down. Prozac leaders do not want to hear problems. They want solutions. Just as with Trump, George WBush defined the role of president as one of cheerleader – encouraging optimism, inspiring confidence, dispelling doubts. Theirs is the way of positive thinking, and dissenting opinions are not welcome. Peoplewho have left the Trump administration (and there aremany) often say the thing the President values more than anything is loyalty. But this is his own version of loyalty, where you don’t engage in critical discussion, you just agreewithwhat he says. Real loyalty might be to challenge him, to ask him if he has considered everything; thatmight be amore effective formof loyalty, but not in the TrumpWhiteHouse. During the pandemic, President Trump has gone against all scientific expertise by advocating hydroxychloroquine as a treatment, and suggesting the virus could be eradicated by " very bright light" and "injecting strong disinfectant into the body". Speak up against his positive rhetoric and be punished. Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was criticised for being "too negative" and "alarmist", earning him the nickname “Dr Doomand Gloom” from the White House. By suffocating alternative perspectives, leadersmake it more likely that organisations are less equipped to consider future risks, potential threats and dangers. Johnson and Trump lead countries that, prior to COVID-19, were rated by the Global Health Security Index in 2019 as the two best-prepared to deal with a pandemic. But the USA has now recordedmore than 200,000 coronavirus deaths, and the UK had, at the time of writing, the highest excess deaths in Europe. Rather than follow the science, both countries adopted excessively optimistic approaches, underestimating COVID-19, attempting to deny and dominate the virus. Prozac leadership has come at a price. Throughout the pandemic Prozac leaders have demonstrated the dangers of their attempts to redefine the narrative in excessively positiveways and of refusing to acknowledgemistakes. Other countries, such as Germany, New Zealand, Taiwan, Finland and Vietnam, have (often female) leaders who follow the science rather than treating the virus as a political issue. Their relative success demonstrates that effective leadership is not just about espousing positivity, but requires informed, critical thinking, a willingness to confront difficult realities, and the capacity to listen to alternative voices. David Collinsonis a Distinguished Professor of Leadership & Organisation in the Department of Organisation, Work and Technology. Prozac Leadership and the Limits of Positive Thinkingis published in the journal Leadership. d.collinson@lancaster.ac.uk FIFTY FOURDEGREES | 9
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