the
innovative LEDGER
An e-Newsletter from The Innovative Edge™ Inc.
Vol.
7, No. 5 - May 2007
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The
IRS: Trendsetter or Pushover?
By Jeff Govendo
Remember
when the income tax deadline was April 15? April 15... no questions
asked.
Well
okay, we in Massachusetts get an occasional one-day reprieve when
our state holiday, Patriots Day, falls on or just before the deadline,
as the Post Office is closed. Other than that, though, it's always
been April 15. Anything past that would incur the feds’ wrath,
not to mention getting flagged for a possible audit.
Well
last month all that changed. First, April 15 fell on Sunday; Patriots
Day on Monday the 16th. So we did get our little extension for that.
Then, due to a server overload at software maker Intuit, millions
using Turbo Tax or other Intuit programs were given to midnight the
19th to submit their taxes.
But
it didn't end there. Like a first year student-teacher unable
to set limits, the IRS then allowed taxpayers in this part of the
country affected by a spring Nor'easter to wait until April 26! All
they had to do was jot down "April 16 storm" on their return
and – voila! – an additional week and a half.
What's
next? "The dog ate my forms."? No problem... just get
‘em in by Memorial Day!
While
many filers delighted in our new, kinder/gentler tax service, some
no doubt saw it as the wimpification of the Internal Revenue Service.
A deadline is a deadline, they would say, and by allowing these
extensions the IRS undercuts its own authority. A system in which
compliance is built upon fear of consequences must be unbending. By
offering these extensions for special circumstances, the feds, in
effect, are "training" taxpayers to expect forgiveness for
their tardiness and procrastination.
Of
course, another way you could look at it is that the IRS was simply
displaying a newfound flexibility, quite appropriate to the situation,
in order to keep a huge segment of the population from becoming tax
delinquents.
The
tension between holding hard and fast to predetermined parameters
vs. adjusting to new realities as conditions warrant is classic, with
important implications for organizational leadership. We admire
leaders who are described as "rock-solid," "resolute"
or "tough." It brings to mind men and women who are laser-focused
on a vision, who demand actions from their employees that unwaveringly
align with that vision. Their goals and objectives are crystal clear,
as well as the prescribed paths for achieving them. Anything deviating
from these are met with disapproval, and sometimes (keeping with our
IRS theme) significant penalties.
But
while such traits can go a long way toward leading a company to success
and sustaining it in difficult times, they can get in the way of
an organization’s capacity for innovation. For, while innovation
often begins with a bold vision and creative ideas for achieving it,
it’s not often apparent where those ideas might actually lead.
The playing field isn’t, in fact, crystal clear. It’s filled
with ambiguity and nuance. Often, decisions have to be made on the
basis of “best guesses” and unknowable outcomes. Changing
direction is more the norm than exception. A leader of innovation
must be able to live in this world of uncertainty, fully cognizant
of the discomfort it engenders, while at the same time relishing the
possibilities.
The
truly innovative leader is one who can articulate a bold and clear
vision, while welcoming the many and varied approaches people may
bring to the table for achieving it. And… embrace change as
the norm. Such a leader is a rare and precious find.
Now,
I’m not ready to concede that by extending its deadline several
times the IRS is about to assume its place in the upper echelon of
innovative organizations. We’ll have to see how they build upon
this year’s experimentation.
In
the meantime, just be sure to get your return in before that Memorial
Day barbeque.
