February 11th was a historic day for Egyptians and indeed the continent of Africa. As the numerous news agencies look back over the regime under Mubarak, I am particularly interested in 3 key leadership mistakes Mubarak made, that you may be making also!

Secret Police

President Mubarak’s right hand man, VP Omar Suleiman, was the head of Egypt’s fearsome secret police. Mubarak could effectively ‘quell’ dissidents silently using the secret forces’ violent tactics. While these were feared by the public, they did as he commanded, but not willingly.

As a leader, we all wish that certain problems could go away, including dissenting views if we firmly believe that they are holding an organisation back from achieving its potential. But an idea’s strongest dissident could also become its strongest and more effective proponent if you manage to convert their view. Using sly, underhanded or back-room tactics to ‘eliminate’ their resistance will never achieve this. Example of such strategies include changing employee job roles to ‘rotate’ them out of the conflict zone, dropping people from committees and suggesting that their career may be harmed by pursuing such views.

Stubborness in the face of popular ideology

Egypt’s leader of 30 years has been credited with some achievements, and cited for some terrible breaches of human rights, but when the end came and the people spoke, one man simply said ‘no’ to the thousands waiting in Tahrir Square. Being denied the opportunity to participate in the running of their country, through proper elections, consultations and the sort, drove the Egyptian people into a fury that didn’t diminish until he eventually slipped out of the back door.

As a leader, we may often be faced with difficult, even unpopular decisions. However to stand in the way of an almost unanimously supported idea from your employees is worst practise, and should be a red flag. Are these employees all wrong… or have you actually made a tragic misjudgement? An employee rebellion isn’t just a riot for riots sake, see it as a giant check and balance in the process to ensure management don’t make mistakes on a grand scale.

Perceived Corruption

In his first speech as president, Mubarak pledged “‘not to commit myself to what I cannot implement, hide the truth from the people, or be lenient with corruption and disorder.” A welcome promise, but by the end of Mubarak’s reign, his family fortune was estimated at around $5bn. The fact that the Egyptian president and his sons profited from his power during the past 20 years is clear.

In modern business, employees hate corruption. It destroys trust and an employee’s pride and loyalty to a company. People want to think of their workplace as a set of values, a valuable service, a ‘thriving business’. They don’t want to see it as a cash generation tool for senior management and ownership. When you consider the real shape of an employee pyramid, with shop floor workers at the bottom, and senior management at the top – you are reminded that the sheer volume of subordinates that will be in opposition to corruption vastly outnumbers the minority at the top facilitating such activities.