Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa H. Bility have called for stronger adherence to policies, accountability, and institutional reform, warning that organizations collapse when leaders and employees alike abandon the principles that sustain effective institutions.
The two made the remarks at the official launch of "How to Destroy an Organization Without Really Trying: A Practical Guide to Organizational Dysfunction, Leadership Failure, and Rewarded Incompetence," authored by Dr. Joyce Johnson Dolo. The event was held at the HILA Campus on Sophie Road in Monrovia and brought together government officials, members of the judiciary, lawmakers, academics, private sector executives and civil society leaders for a discussion on leadership and institutional governance.
Delivering special remarks, former President Sirleaf praised the publication for confronting difficult truths about leadership and organizational decline, describing it as an important contribution to strengthening Liberia's institutions.
"The law is the law. Policies are policies. Rules are rules. Obey them. Adhere to them. Enforce them," Sirleaf emphasized, noting that one of the strongest themes emerging from the discussion was the consistent enforcement of organizational policies.
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She stressed that institutions become reflections of the systems and rules established by their leaders.
"Build a system. Create policies. Enforce them diligently. Communicate them clearly. Organizations become what those policies shape them to be. So why, once you're in leadership, would you ignore them or deviate from them? That's dangerous. That's how organizations collapse," she warned.
Sirleaf also commended Dr. Dolo for choosing a provocative title, saying understanding organizational failure is essential to achieving excellence.
"The title of your book, How to Destroy an Organization Without Really Trying, is so true. But perhaps we should also discuss how organizations are destroyed on purpose," she said, expressing hope that the launch would mark the beginning of a broader national conversation on institutional reform and governance.
Representative Musa H. Bility echoed similar concerns but argued that organizational failure should not be blamed solely on political leaders.
According to the Nimba County lawmaker, accountability must begin with ordinary citizens, whose daily actions collectively shape the culture of institutions.
"Every time we read these headlines, the first set of people our minds run to are the leaders," Bility said. "But society is not going to be okay as long as these little things are not dealt with."
Drawing inspiration from George Orwell's Animal Farm, Bility referenced the character Benjamin, whom he described as intelligent but unwilling to act against wrongdoing.
"We have to ask ourselves tonight: can we get rid of the Benjamin in us? Can we get rid of the Benjamin in each one of us, so that we can do something?" he challenged.
In a practical demonstration of his commitment, Bility announced that he intends to purchase copies of the book for every member of the House of Representatives, expressing hope that it would stimulate deeper reflection on accountability within the Legislature.
"I will buy it and give it to them," he said, adding that the Legislature remains the cornerstone of democratic accountability because it was constitutionally established to oversee the Executive and ensure responsible governance.
The lawmaker lamented what he described as the Legislature's inability to adequately account for previous public expenditures, arguing that meaningful institutional reform requires confronting uncomfortable truths.
The launch also featured reflections on broader governance challenges, including balancing political loyalty with technical competence in government institutions and what participants described as an overreliance on workshops instead of implementing practical solutions to organizational problems.
Serving as Chief Launcher, former Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh described the publication as an exceptional resource for leaders and professionals.
"This is an exceptional book. Everyone should own a copy -- for your personal life, your organization, or your institution. It will help you recognize destructive patterns before they become permanent," Yuoh said before officially declaring the book launched.
In her keynote reflections, Dr. Joyce Johnson Dolo said the book was inspired by years of observing recurring patterns of institutional decline across government, healthcare, higher education, international development, and private sector organizations in several countries.
She argued that organizations rarely collapse because of a single catastrophic event but instead deteriorate through repeated small decisions that gradually normalize dysfunction.
"Organizations do not collapse by accident. They follow a pattern," she declared, describing the statement as the central message of the book.
According to Dr. Dolo, capable organizations often fail when competence is replaced by comfort, accountability becomes selective, honest feedback is discouraged, meetings substitute for meaningful action, and committees are created to postpone rather than solve problems.
She emphasized that the book is not intended to criticize organizations but to help strengthen them by encouraging leaders and employees alike to recognize harmful patterns before they become entrenched.
Dr. Dolo further argued that building healthy institutions is a shared responsibility requiring accountability, integrity, professionalism, and the courage to challenge dysfunctional systems at every level.
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She concluded by urging Liberians to move beyond assigning blame and instead embrace personal responsibility for improving organizational culture.
"This book is not an invitation to point fingers," she said. "It is an invitation to hold up a mirror... Organizations do not become better by accident. They become better when ordinary people, at every level, make extraordinary choices, day after day, decision after decision."
Earlier, as Bility declared his commitment to purchase copies of the book for his colleagues in the House of Representatives, the audience murmured with a sense of doubt that lawmakers would even bother to read the book. But later on, in brief remarks, Bai Best, Managing Director of the Liberian Observer Corporation, observed that though the book is a thick volume, it is surprisingly easy to read because it is written in the style of a satire. According to him, anyone reading the book could see themselves reflected somewhere in the book.
The publication comes at a time when Liberia continues to pursue governance reforms and stronger public institutions amid ongoing national discussions on transparency, accountability, and public sector effectiveness. Participants at the launch expressed hope that the book will serve as a practical guide for government agencies, businesses, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and other workplaces seeking to build stronger systems capable of delivering sustainable national development.
