Well, actually, “managing leadership” is the term I prefer. But this expression is given meaning through an insightful comparison made by Phil Dourado, reported recently by David Zinger. Phil describes the method Roger Bannister used to break the four-minute barrier in the one-mile run: He had two other people taking turns sprinting along in front of him. When one tired, the other took his place and maintained a rapid pace in front of Bannister, spurring him along and through the four-minute threshold. Consider the conclusion Phil draws from this example:
Acts of leadership like this one are in fact collaborations in which people take turns to lead. The myth of ‘the leader’ stops us recognizing this obvious truth. Stop viewing leadership through the lens of ‘the leader’. Start thinking ‘acts of leadership’ rather than ‘leader’ and you are better equipped to help build an organization, team or unit full of acts of collaborative leadership.”
“Myth of the leader.” Nice to hear that coming from someone else. I encourage you to consider it seriously, because individual leadership in modern organizations really is a myth. Effective executives don’t lead organizations, they manage the leadership that is inherent in them.
Phil portrays organizational leadership as an aggregate of the collaborative efforts of individuals. I describe it as arising naturally from the group dynamics of a collaborative association of individuals engaged in a purposeful endeavor that expresses itself through those individuals; that, in my view, is what prompts “acts of leadership,” to borrow Phil’s happy phrase.
Take your pick. I’ll be delighted if you explore Phil’s view. Try to ignore all the self-described great leaders prancing around on their high horses; just look at leadership as something that, at least, transcends yourself as an individual. Not only will you become a better manager; your organization will become better managed – and led.
We’ll take a brief look, tomorrow, at this proposition from another angle. See you then.
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