Leadership Lessons from Chris Christie's Bridgegate

To paraphrase the immortal words of Kermit the Frog, "It’s not easy being Chris Christie." Bridgegate—lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last August allegedly orchestrated by Christie’s staff as a political attack against the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey—is in full-on scandal mode. The New Jersey governor’s direct connection to the bridge closing still remains unclear. But as the governor’s poll numbers continue to slip, it’s safe to say that things aren’t looking good.

Regardless of wrongdoing, an interesting leadership conundrum has presented itself: How does one lead in times when authority and trustworthiness are questioned? Leadership and development expert Samantha Howland, senior managing partner at leadership consulting firm Decision Strategies International, provided these tips on how to lead when you’re stalled out on the freeway debating your next move.

1. Keep your character consistent.

"It’s critically important to deal with the challenge/crisis in a matter consistent with your values and posture," Howland said. "Authenticity is key." Christie utilized this strategy during his two-hour press conferenceon January 9th, painting himself colloquially as the "sad guy" still aligned with hard-working New Jerseyans. He also claimed he has never been a micromanager in an attempt to realign his management style (laissez faire) with the fallout of the scandal itself. With supporters criticizing your every move, explain how you’re the same boy they’ve always known.

2. Make the scandal a learning moment.

"Many commercial leaders face mistakes and crisis," Howland said. "When they deal with these as true learning moments and take those learnings back into how the organization must operate and change, they can be growth opportunities rather than career-ending ones." Christie spun his scandal as a learning moment in his hour-long radio appearanceon New Jersey 101.5 FM this week. "While I am disappointed by what happened here, I am determined to fix it," he said. In addition to a "thorough" and "efficient" internal investigation, Christie wants to determine "whether there was a traffic study that morphed into some political shenanigans, or did it start as political shenanigans that became a traffic study." Issues of reforming staff management and project approval are to the fore, and Christie knows it.

3. Listen to all issues and perspectives on the scandal—from all sides.

The New Jersey Democratic chairman was quick to criticize the screened questions of Christie’s hour-long radio talk, nearly all of which were from positive listeners and former Christie voters. With party lines drawn, Christie already has two groups to listen to, and two sides to please. "Openness to feedback and challenge are key," said Howland. "With that input leaders should be able to articulate their understanding and willingness to reframe what they understand has happened—and then translate that into a path forward."

In closing, Howland said that all highly visible leaders deal with several challenges along the way. A crisis is just a heightened challenge that must be dealt with "quickly, consistently, and strategically." As any House of Cards fan can attest, a single political misstep or exposed character flaw can easily be lights out for your career. Mr. Christie just got his moment, now let’s see if he can lead his way out of it.