Analysis book Leadership for the Common Good (LCG) by Crosby & Bryson

This is an analysis of the the book Leadership for the Common Good (LCG) by Crosby & Bryson: Preface and Chapter 1 related with public security leadership, they concepts were discussed in the course of the same name at Humphrey School of Public Affairs - University of Minnesota.

Actually, the world is completely interconnected affecting the entire population of the planet without distinction including information, people, and problems. Likewise, since this population shares the responsibility what comes from the decisions, behaviors and actions of the people, then the power must be shared too to solve these problems. This is the start of the leadership for the common good. 

No-one-in-charge is a difficult conception for a top manager who has many powers in an organization, but it is the daily reality for public leaders because they are given social responsibility. For instance, at the same time if the police officers want implement a security policy. Decisions and activities to be successful, they must share if the power with mass media to convince people the change behaviors, with prosecutors and judges to become more efficient in the judicial process, and with others stakeholders that could provide reasonable resources and information as the book mentioned. The environment of international crimes like drug trafficking is essentially a shared-power world because this crime is very complex crossing different cultures, laws, geographic places, security agencies, and cartels. From drug trafficking arises other crime such as money laundering, assassinations, arms trafficking, etc. This case has a large influence of shared-power world because the governments propose public policy in security, diplomacy, and health; local organizations as homeland security agencies, private security organizations, NGO, farmers, airports, seaports, trains and rails station, addicts, etc. They make decisions and coordination to control this crime but at the same time the drug cartels, criminal partners and others are adapting and changing their strategies to avoid the world is not attacking –it is the cooperative network partners.   

The chapter proposes an important conception about stakeholders as part of the problem and solution; they should give resources, information, and power to develop and implement link solutions. Emergent, programming and operational problems are process of identification, analysis, and solution of the problem. These activities permit shared-power among many organizations, institutions, peoples, companies or governments.

Within of share-power world, if it is possible to amplify who do the role of facilitator or mediator (not a leader because he does not make decisions) because without this kind of roles, it is too difficult to bring many organizations for the same objective or same solution, despite that every stakeholder would provide help; also, it exists the case where a very important stakeholder would not like to provide help, the mediator should convince to help and permeating the shared-power world. In referring to what case the stakeholders have the equal objective wishing to they may have others objective as well work together for common good, but if the stakeholders do not have the equal objective the agents could have the different behaviors and outcomes.

Another important idea is that shared-power world does not diminish the importance of leaders; they leaders still have influence and power within and without the organization, and with stakeholders. It is a big positive paradox.