ME&C: Principles of Organizational Decay (Mosiah 19)

In my last post, I briefly explored the principles that Alma laid out as requisite to restore the power and authority lost as a result of the apostasy during Noah's (and to some extent, Zeniff's) reign.

Many of these principles were set forth to ensure integrity in the church's leadership so that the people's confidence in their leaders would never waver.

King Noah's actions (and those of his closest followers) succintly illustrate the poisonous leadership that will cause any organization, from kingdom to church to corporation, to decay. I'll highlight just a few that stand out.

1. Requiring more than you give in return: King Noah takes from those he manages, rather than making sure he gives them at least as much in return. His policies are unpopular enough that he needs to ensure compliance with force. As soon as the army begins to wear thin (v. 2), division erupts.
• On an interesting sidenote, the scripture never explains why "the forces of the king were small, having been reduced," but a combination of desertion associated with Alma's exodus and budget cutbacks seems a perfect storm that would fit with the story.
2. Running from important and urgent problems: Taking an idea from Stephen Covey's priority quadrants, King Noah ignores the very area that should be his focus. Rather than standing fast and meeting the threat of Lamanite invasion, he runs. Both a managerial and tactical mistake, as regaining an abandoned position is much more costly than fighting to keep it in the first place.
3. Making decisions with selfish motives and encouraging those closest to you to do the same: When women and children slow King Noah's retreat, he orders them abandoned. Those closest to him obey, sacrificing the long-term good (and moral decency) for the exigencies of self preservation. In the end, Noah preserves his life for a few moments, but destroys the credibility and souls of his inner cadre forever.

Most importantly, poisonous leadership does not stop with the death/assassination/exile/sacking of the poisonous leader. The effects recur with such frequency that only a visionary leader with a motivated following can work to reset cultural rules. Which just happens to be the way God works.