Managing Leadership^®

A major aim behind the contemporary emphasis on leadership in business is the virtual permeation of an organization with the visionary, inspirational influence of an individual leader. And please do bear in mind that if this sort of leadership is expected from the top, there can be no genuinely independent, individual leaders at all beneath that lofty summit – only followers of one rank or another.

So, think about that: the entire outfit really does depend on the leadership of a single person. That leader’s vision animates the energy, inspires the passion, and informs the initiative of everyone else in the enterprise.

Whatever they do, whoever they are, whatever may be their position or authority – indeed, however they are referred to, even if it is as leaders themselves – if the boss is truly a leader as described, promoted and cultivated by modern “experts” on individual leadership in business, then the rest are all followers. Their actions, plans, creativity, loyalty – they, themselves, while at work – are mere derivatives of the singular leader at the top.

Fortunately, most organizations don’t exhibit these dynamics to this degree. But, sadly, many more than you might expect, do.

In the latter case, a common symptom is an organization filled with angry people, carping incessantly about the idiots at the top. And those idiots seem to be disastrously unaware of the poisonous morale they generate. Rather, they spend all their time in devastatingly innocent wonder at what they imagine to be their visionary genius.

Another symptom – less common but possibly more insidiously dangerous – is the organization filled with people who hang on their boss’s every word, gesture, glance. These are the pod-people. Their fixed, context-independent, worshipful expressions are perfect symbols of their derivative, follower status. And their bosses are just as idiotically isolated in their ignorant self-absorption as those of the former group.

In either case, a toxic mess. And there are those who want more of it. Now, there’s evidence of man-made global leading, for you.

We’ll take a brief look at why this is dangerous, tomorrow. See you then.

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Today’s tip: Speaking of the perils of splendid isolation, please see this piece by Bob Sutton on posers and plain speakers.

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