Sources: CBS 60 Minutes, John Boehner interview with Lesley Stahl, Dec 12, 2010 A little crying on the floor of the US House of Representatives this week reminded me of how I was struck by last month’s 60 Minutes segment profiling our new House Speaker, John Boehner.  Boehner cried at several points during that interview, each time related to a comment or question about living the American Dream. The report also showed clips of other famous political criers. The 1972 tears of Edmund Muskie, Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign in 2008, George Bush talking of the family tragedies brought about by 9-11, and even Barack Obama on the death of his grandmother the day before his election to president. I started to think of other situations where there were tears, and when they were good or bad from a leadership influence standpoint. And I remember the maxim “there are no happy tears” from my graduate school training.  Whether or not the tears are appropriate (or effective, from a leadership standpoint) is definitely bound by culture.  Certain environments or organizational climates tolerate emotional expression, while others don’t. I can envision an emotional outburst at an advertising agency, where creative energies must flow rather freely to generate new ideas, as an acceptable response.  I can also envision the discomfort among passengers in an airplane when a teary pilot announces trouble up ahead.  In leadership situations, I don’t think that gender makes a difference even if there is a gender difference. People … Continue reading →