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Putting Lipstick on a Pig

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Why Surface Fixes Fail in Auxiliary Leadership

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Making something look better

without actually improving it

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How It Shows Up in the Auxiliary

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  • New words, same broken process
  • Rebranding instead of rebuilding
  • More meetings instead of decisions
  • Highlighting small wins to hide big gaps
  • Announcing initiatives without resources

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Why Cosmetic Leadership Happens

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  • Avoidance of uncomfortable conversations
  • Pressure to “show results” quickly
  • Fear of conflict or accountability
  • Habit of doing what’s easy instead of what’s effective
  • Desire to maintain harmony rather than solve problems

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The Cost to the Auxiliary

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  • Erodes trust
  • Reduces member engagement
  • Increases burnout
  • Stagnates unit growth
  • Weakens mission readiness

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Cosmetic vs. Corrective Leadership

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Cosmetic:

  • Polishes symptoms
  • Avoids root causes
  • Prioritizes optics
  • Creates temporary relief

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Corrective:

  • Diagnoses real problems
  • Addresses root causes
  • Prioritizes outcomes
  • Builds long‑term improvement

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A Practical Example

Problem: Low member engagement

Cosmetic Fix:

  • Motivational quotes
  • More meetings

Corrective Fix:

  • Ask disengaged members why
  • Identify barriers
  • Fix communication gaps
  • Clarify roles
  • Follow up and measure results

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How Leaders Shift to Substance

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  • Ask honest questions
  • Seek root causes
  • Invite feedback
  • Make decisions instead of announcements
  • Resource initiatives before launching them
  • Measure results, not activity

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The standard you set is the standard you get

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If you reward decoration, you get decoration

If you reward improvement, you get improvement

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Final Thought

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Successful leaders fix the pig.

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Everyone else just paints it.