Lie 9: Leadership is a ThingKevyn2019-09-09T11:26:20-07:00
10 Comments
smileworkshops@aol.com
March 27, 2019 at 1:22 pm - Reply
When I consider leaders I’ve been willing to follow, they share some common threads which I believe are red 🙂
watchman25@gmail.com
March 27, 2019 at 12:32 pm - Reply
If the one common thread of a leader is defined by having followers, then not only is leadership not a thing (list of attributes) but is also not a position (Manager, Team Leader). High functioning teams often have multiple leaders. When someone on a team is leveraging their strengths on behalf of the teams mission, then often the team members will follow their trusted ‘leader’ at that time. Then at another point in time you will find another team member step up into leadership when their particular strengths and talents are needed. When each team member understands their strengths and where they can be trusted to deliver toward the teams mission, then they and the team also know where they can build momentum to lead. Great stuff Marcus and Ashley!
1
ziarunning@icloud.com
March 27, 2019 at 12:22 pm - Reply
Wow! Just wow! You just rocked my world, but you are absolutely right that those I choose to follow don’t all have the same attributes (from “the” list). A leader is someone who has followers. Love it! Thanks.
teresaquinlan@hotmail.com
March 27, 2019 at 11:55 am - Reply
“Flavour of the month” is what came to mind when listing off the types of leadership (servant, transformational, level 5, etc. The type of leaders we are defining today serves a purpose to a symptom. We need more ‘SERVANT’ leaders because millennials in the workplace want someone like their parent who will do everything in their power to help them get from A to B. It’s brilliant to indicate that a leader is someone who has followers. So simple. And follower-ship may have consistencies that turn into characteristics of a leader. On athletic teams, very often the leader is chosen by the team mates – who do they want to follow. That’s your captain. Very cool.
1
blakelemoi@hotmail.com
March 27, 2019 at 10:14 am - Reply
With social media we can now analyze the followers. Maybe great leaders are experts in marketing
blakelemoi@hotmail.com
March 27, 2019 at 10:09 am - Reply
Passion + Compassion = real leaders
ehebert@cisabroad.com
March 27, 2019 at 8:42 am - Reply
Ah yes, that magical list of qualities of leadership, it makes perfect sense that it’s not ‘a thing’. Whenever I think of my own leaders I follow, yes they have a few or most of the qualities, but the ones they’re lacking don’t make me want to follow them more if they improved upon them.
coachbeth@career-catalyst.org
March 27, 2019 at 8:39 am - Reply
Drawing from the Feedback Fallacy, wouldn’t it be wonderful if a leader’s leader would point out moments of excellence in leadership? In my personal experience, I haven’t seen much of that. Feedback to leaders from their leaders is typically goal related – did you hit the project milestones or not? It’s then up to the leader to figure out how to motivate his or her team to achieve the goals. Let’s encourage our up-line leaders to recognize moments of excellence in leadership of the people that report to them. I’m inspired to do more that in my own work. Thank you!
4
wayne.miller@tdstelecom.com
March 27, 2019 at 8:28 am - Reply
I think an important question to ask ourselves is “why are we trying to be better leaders? What are we trying to accomplish?” Because we would not have a $50B industry in the US if we weren’t trying to be better leaders. We wouldn’t be part of this coalition. I don’t know if that’s going to be part of the truth, but its a question I ask myself every time I think of putting myself out there, out of my comfort zone. What makes it worth the effort and the risk?
2
bansal369k@gmail.com
March 27, 2019 at 8:12 am - Reply
What a wonderful comment on Leadership. Defining what is the best leadership is such a difficult task as the great leaders different forms and shapes – from Gandhi from Lincoln, from Kennedy to Churchill and from Steve Jobs to Jack Ma. Defining an ideal leader is to say there is only one way of success. Your 9th lie brings me to closer to how God is defined in Hindu text- ‘neti, neti’ in Sanskrit. Which roughly translated means “neither this, nor that”. Different situations, times, circumstances, require different way to handle them and there is no one universal way to tackle myriad of problems of situations.
In a way, this lie relates to lies number 4 and 6, where people are rounded and can be rated. That amounts to saying that an ideal leadership profile is a mould where people have to be fitted and shaped to be called an ‘ideal leader’.
When I consider leaders I’ve been willing to follow, they share some common threads which I believe are red 🙂
If the one common thread of a leader is defined by having followers, then not only is leadership not a thing (list of attributes) but is also not a position (Manager, Team Leader). High functioning teams often have multiple leaders. When someone on a team is leveraging their strengths on behalf of the teams mission, then often the team members will follow their trusted ‘leader’ at that time. Then at another point in time you will find another team member step up into leadership when their particular strengths and talents are needed. When each team member understands their strengths and where they can be trusted to deliver toward the teams mission, then they and the team also know where they can build momentum to lead. Great stuff Marcus and Ashley!
Wow! Just wow! You just rocked my world, but you are absolutely right that those I choose to follow don’t all have the same attributes (from “the” list). A leader is someone who has followers. Love it! Thanks.
“Flavour of the month” is what came to mind when listing off the types of leadership (servant, transformational, level 5, etc. The type of leaders we are defining today serves a purpose to a symptom. We need more ‘SERVANT’ leaders because millennials in the workplace want someone like their parent who will do everything in their power to help them get from A to B. It’s brilliant to indicate that a leader is someone who has followers. So simple. And follower-ship may have consistencies that turn into characteristics of a leader. On athletic teams, very often the leader is chosen by the team mates – who do they want to follow. That’s your captain. Very cool.
With social media we can now analyze the followers. Maybe great leaders are experts in marketing
Passion + Compassion = real leaders
Ah yes, that magical list of qualities of leadership, it makes perfect sense that it’s not ‘a thing’. Whenever I think of my own leaders I follow, yes they have a few or most of the qualities, but the ones they’re lacking don’t make me want to follow them more if they improved upon them.
Drawing from the Feedback Fallacy, wouldn’t it be wonderful if a leader’s leader would point out moments of excellence in leadership? In my personal experience, I haven’t seen much of that. Feedback to leaders from their leaders is typically goal related – did you hit the project milestones or not? It’s then up to the leader to figure out how to motivate his or her team to achieve the goals. Let’s encourage our up-line leaders to recognize moments of excellence in leadership of the people that report to them. I’m inspired to do more that in my own work. Thank you!
I think an important question to ask ourselves is “why are we trying to be better leaders? What are we trying to accomplish?” Because we would not have a $50B industry in the US if we weren’t trying to be better leaders. We wouldn’t be part of this coalition. I don’t know if that’s going to be part of the truth, but its a question I ask myself every time I think of putting myself out there, out of my comfort zone. What makes it worth the effort and the risk?
What a wonderful comment on Leadership. Defining what is the best leadership is such a difficult task as the great leaders different forms and shapes – from Gandhi from Lincoln, from Kennedy to Churchill and from Steve Jobs to Jack Ma. Defining an ideal leader is to say there is only one way of success. Your 9th lie brings me to closer to how God is defined in Hindu text- ‘neti, neti’ in Sanskrit. Which roughly translated means “neither this, nor that”. Different situations, times, circumstances, require different way to handle them and there is no one universal way to tackle myriad of problems of situations.
In a way, this lie relates to lies number 4 and 6, where people are rounded and can be rated. That amounts to saying that an ideal leadership profile is a mould where people have to be fitted and shaped to be called an ‘ideal leader’.