Leadership is all hype
by Miki SaxonAs most frequent readers know, I have a passionate DISbelief in the cult of individual leadership and don’t see leadership as positional.
I’ve said over and over that it’s when people take initiative, no matter their position, that they are proclaimed leaders after the fact by those around them.
I think that the cult of individual leadership encourages people to abdicate their responsibilities, ethics and actions to the positional leader even when that ‘leader’ reports to them (think CEO, Board and Lehman).
But leadership is also an industry, a way that thousands of people, directly and indirectly, earn the money to feed their families and pay their mortgages.
These aren’t scam artists, but sincere, intelligent, educated people who truly believe that by choosing certain people and teaching them ‘leadership skills’ they can create a kind of super person with clearer vision and an innate sense that assures they will stick to a high moral code and always do the right thing.
But people don’t work that way.
Peter Drucker got it right when he said “Leadership is all hype. We’ve had three great leaders in this century – Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.”
‘Leader’ and ‘leadership’ lost their meaning when the media latched on and started using them as shorthand for what the guy at the front (leader) thinks should be done to move forward (leadership).
None of this is to say that the skills taught by the industry are worthless—they’re anything but.
The reality is that they should be taught to everyone.
The result would be various levels of incremental improvement that benefited both individuals and the organization and fewer god complexes in the corner office.
Your comments—priceless
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Image credit sxc.hu
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 am
You’re absolutely right. Leadership can arise from any part of an organization. It should be encouraged to from front line to board room. And I love the drucker quote!
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:19 am
Hi Miki,
Just wanted to say that I’ve started reading your blog. I’m wondering if you have heard about the book, “What Men Don’t Tell Women About Business”. I heard the guy (Chris Flett) on the Today Show and thought you probably have already heard of him. I’m wondering what your thoughts were. He seems to be really taking on the ‘Old Boys Club”. I just emailed him, but haven’t heard back.
Anyway, keep up the great writing.
Best,
Bihter.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:44 am
The wonderful subjectivity of language :-)
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Hi Jeff, thanks for starting the conversation. Sure leaders can rise in a culture that enables that, but rising on its own is different than teaching the skills to everyone—not just to those who those identified as ‘having leadership potential’, but who hear ‘I am special’.
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Hi Bihter, I’m delighted you found me. I’m not familiar with the book you mentioned, but was sent a copy of Leadership and the Sexes to review. (My reading is soooo backed up:)
However, I’ll do some checking and respond to you in a post this week or next.
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Hi Bruce, glad you stopped by. Need a little clarification. Although I agree regarding ‘the subjectivity of language’, are you referring to the thought voiced or my choice of language? Just wondering…
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Hi Miki, both inasmuch as I agree with the thought in the post and the choice of language is good too :-)
I guess it was a more general observation which this post prompted, although the cult of leadership and the wonderful ‘latching onto’ of the term ‘leader’ that has emerged did prompt me too :-)
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Gotcha, Bruce. Now all we need to do is figure out how to convince all the ‘leaders’ out there that being giving leadership training isn’t a membership in some exclusive club, let alone being anointed to a higher plane.
Not that I’m enough of a masochist to even try…
November 4th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Miki, I’m with the sentiments, but I’d rather pick an easier fight than that myself ;-)
If the client wants ‘leadership’ and/or if leadership is ‘for the c suite only’, that’s fine with me! If people want to do development, ‘personal leadership!’ effectiveness coaching, top talent etc. etc. that’s all good with me too :-)
Ultimately, its about outcomes and results, rather than the labels we use in an attempt to claim our ‘uniqueness’ (isn’t our uniqueness a given anyway?!?).
I’m tempted to open the can of worms labelled ‘relative perception and our misdirected efforts at self evaluation’ but I fear the text box I am typing this into is resisting!
November 5th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I won’t argue about giving paying clients what they want, but, unfortunately, to get those paying clients the leadership industry marketing party line is that we can/will turn the chosen into ‘leaders’ and those ‘leaders’ can/will take the company to the heights or save it depending on what’s needed.
I don’t believe that it’s just about outcome, it’s also about opportunity. If you’re not ‘chosen’ you don’t receive training—unless you can pay for it yourself, which many can’t.
Further, those who aren’t ‘chosen’ end up believing that they lack the potential and therefore don’t aspire—kind of like being classified as slow because of an undiagnosed learning disability.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
[…] Saxon tells us that she’s no fan of the cult of individual leadership. Likewise we’d also agree […]
November 6th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
[…] Saxon tells us that she’s no fan of the cult of individual leadership. Likewise we’d also agree with the […]
November 7th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Miki
What I would like to see is a culture of leadership where everyone knows their leadership potential and steps up into it. One of my favorite sayings is from The Art of Possibility by Zander. The authors talk about leading from any chair (the chair being any musician in an orchestra not just the conductor or the star violinist).
Lets have a culture of leading from any chair.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Hi Lynne, Thanks for taking time to add to the discussion.
A culture of leadership would be great; I like the analogy and agree with the idea, but have a question.
You say “everyone knows their leadership potential.” How do they know? Are they assessed in some way to determine it? At what point in their career? Is it potential in general or in a specific area?
November 11th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Hi Miki,
Great conversation :-)
>we can/will turn the chosen into ‘leaders’ and those ‘leaders’ can/will take the company to the heights
Sure, I’d agree, this is a pretty standard sales story for those selling leadership. That said, the message rings pretty hollow for me in as much as the market itself (B2B and B2C) is very fragmented, despite having been around for a reasonable amount of time. There are many reasons behind this fragmentation, some of which include;
1. Leadership is arguably a nascent industry, although I say that this view is pretty generous as there are many other historic examples of leadership that we can talk about e.g. Maslow, Hertzberg, classic psychologists like Freud, Jung and Skinner, military training etc. etc.
2. There is little consensus from suppliers, customers and even academics about what works e.g. http://tinyurl.com/5ec9rx
3. There are generally healthy levels of demand for leadership
4. As you say, the term has become ‘owned’ by the media, creating further problems around labelling and definition e.g. leadership is as much about personal and professional development as it is an alter to worship at as it is a watch word for ‘my career’!
5. I believe that there is a subconscious or unknown quantity to ‘leadership’ or self development, otherwise there would be more ‘if you do X you get Y’ type of thinking and results which tends to characterise problems that have been successfully solved (see item 2!)
5a. ‘If you do X you get Y’ thinking can be seen across many swathes of humanity, for example, healthcare, diet, exercise, financial services, engineering, computer science, politics, law and so forth
5c. Combining points 3 and 5 leads me to the view that there is an (as you say below) opportunity for pushing ‘leadership’ to a wider audience!
>I don’t believe that it’s just about outcome, it’s also about opportunity
Absolutely…
>Further, those who aren’t ‘chosen’ end up believing that they lack the potential
Possibly… I can certainly see your point. In a similar vein, especially around the marketing messages and point 2 above, I’m chewing on a couple of ideas at the moment that pick up on these themes…
* Self acceptance (and its derivative forms in language) are a lowest common denominator for human nature. People’s success/wellbeing/good stuff/bad stuff is a function of their self acceptance. I am currently chatting to and talking to people about this as I try and prove/disprove the notion
* Self acceptance is not (in the main) discussed as an outcome amongst practitioners. That said, outcomes discussed amongst practitioners are as widespread and fragmented as the problems that present!!!
Similarly, in crafting a proposition and delivery of outcome that addresses some of the points above, economies of scale will increase the opportunity by default!
Let me know if this catches the imagination but this, in part, is what I’m thinking about at the moment…
November 11th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Hi Miki,
I’ve been doing some additional research on the author, Chris Flett, that I talked about on my last comment. His company is “GhostCEO” (www.GhostCEO.com) and his book is a bestseller. I found it on Amazon here. Anyway, he was in the NY Times last Sunday under the “Career Couch” and he makes reference to women’s blogs like yours so I thought you might like to connect. I’d like to see you interview him and see what he’s all about. I saw on another blog he was a guest blogger. His email is: chris@ghostceo.com
Best wishes,
Bihter.
November 11th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Hi Bihter, thanks for the information, your comment arrived about an hour before I had planned to start researching Chris:)
I read through all the links you sent and am writing him today. I’ll keep you posted on what happens.
Thanks again!
Miki
November 12th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Hey Bruce, you were right about the depth of the water, so I’m moving my response to a full post based on your comment that will go up Monday. I hope everyone will come back and weigh in.
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