My father is almost 90 years old.  He suffers from dementia.

He has been slowly declining into reduced ability for a few years now.  Initially it began with a simple loss of memory.  He could communicate well, but would forget the odd detail and need to be reminded.  He then began to forget more and more details.  He would ask certain questions over and over, forgetting that we had already discussed what he was asking.

He has always been very pleasant and lights up when he sees me or talks on the phone.  In fact, he used to always answer the phone, but now he never does.

However, there are other symptoms surrounding his dementia that are fairly concerning.  He withdrew more and more in social contexts into his own little world.  He became quite isolated.  He would not initiate conversation, but would respond when asked a question.  He slowly grew more and more detached.  Now, when asked a question, he often replies with, “I don’t know”, or “I forget.”

One of the most disconcerting effects of his dementia is Dad’s loss of appetite.  He just doesn’t eat or drink much anymore.  And, it’s actually that which may ultimately lead to his death.  He may slowly starve himself to death.  No one can make him eat or drink – he must choose to do so himself.

Watching the impact of dementia on my father has been very difficult.  There is really not much we can do except love him in the midst of this and ensure he is well cared for.  It is hard to see a man who was so strong, robust, and full of vitality, decline into such a state.

Seeing Dad’s decline has led me to recognize a similar malady negatively impacting the lives of many leaders – I call it “Leadership Dementia”.  The big difference between physical dementia and Leadership Dementia is that Leadership Dementia is self-inflicted.  Let me explain…

I have seen many leaders over the years who begin to “forget”.  They choose not to remember what is important to provide good leadership, what the real role of a leader is, what the bigger issues are beyond their own comfort and convenience, and perhaps more importantly, who they are and the value they can bring.  They have lost heart and choose to withdraw, isolate and protect themselves.  They do not interact with other leaders, or even those they lead.  They do not create a community of leadership to keep them engaged as a leader.  They slowly become more and more detached and oblivious to the needs of their organization and their people.

When you ask these leaders about the larger issues of leading beyond their own needs, or significant issues facing those they lead, or even the value they bring, they often respond with, “I don’t know”, or “That’s irrelevant”, or “I don’t care”.  But perhaps that which most greatly leads to their leadership demise is their gradual refusal to ‘eat’ – to continue to grow as a leader; to be a learner.  If we do not choose to be life-long learners and grow our leadership ability we will ultimately become stale, self-centered and discouraged.  We then begin to decline in effectiveness and become irrelevant.

Albert Schweitzer said, “The real tragedy in life is what dies inside a man while he yet still lives.”

Likewise, the real tragedy of leadership is what dies inside an organization while the leader suffers from self-inflicted Leadership Dementia.

‘Leadership Dementia’ is far more prevalent than we may think.  However, there is a cure.  There is hope.  If you find yourself suffering from these symptoms you can experience renewed life, but you must engage your most powerful weapon – your will.

We must choose to reengage with our people.  We must choose to feed our leadership knowledge and experience in a fashion that equips, inspires, envisions, encourages and engages us to lead wholeheartedly.  We must choose to walk with other leadership allies in a community of leaders in authentic, open and honest relationships receiving encouragement from them, and giving encouragement to them.

Do you suffer from Leadership Dementia?  Your healing begins by admitting your choices have led you to this place.  Somehow you have lost heart and retreated into a state of self-protection, but you don’t need to stay there.  Your choices may have led to your Leadership Dementia, but your choices can also lead you out.