The Rob Ford saga has turned from a tale of vice into a debate over the virtues of a scandalized politician driven to cut costs in a city that desperately needs to get its fiscal house in order.
The Mayor of Toronto is currently campaigning for the hearts of voters, hoping to win the up-coming election by pushing his strengths as a fiscal conservative. Whatever people might think or say about the drug scandal that moved city council to transfer much of his power to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly last year, Ford wants everyone to know he is still a champion for the little guys and gals who pay taxes.
Judging from the support of Ford Nation, many voters think the Mayor’s professional record is the only thing that really matters. We beg to differ.
At the Ivey Business School, we assess leader effectiveness on the basis of competencies, character and commitment. When any of the three are deficient, the shortfall will undo the strengths of the other pillars and ultimately lead to problems for leaders, organizations and related stakeholders. The best example of this was the 2008 financial crisis. If anything, there was a surplus of competencies and commitment among bankers in the years leading up to the crisis. But shortcomings of character still caused the global financial system to nearly crash while creating the dire economic consequences that are still reverberating today.