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Three preparatory steps for Leadership Development (What is Leadership?)
Generally speaking, leadership development can be much improved to become more effective. However, leadership development
can go wrong even before it has started. Apart from failing to restrict leadership development to suitable candidates, several expected major causes are
misconception and wrong focus. Taking the following three specific steps may help prevent this:
- Strip the word leadership to its
bear, rational essence. Having a clear understanding of the meaning of the
word, makes it is easier to know what to strive for, and recognise when
the goal is achieved.
- Identify what causes leadership.
- Find out how those causes can be brought
about deliberately.
1) Define leadership
Leadership is neither an ability, nor a power, and definitely not a phenomenon or any other silly
designation. Leadership can derive from certain powers (see below), even
without possessing specific abilities. Instead, leadership is a relationship.
Within that relationship, one intentionally leads and one or more are being led by the one who leads.
I define leadership as:
A relationship between one who intentionally leads and one or more
who are being led*.
From this definition, we can deduce that if no one is led, there is no leadership!
- If directives are given, but not followed, no one is led;
- If someone is followed without the intention of leading, no one is led;
- If directives are given to procure behaviour that would have taken place without the directives, no one is led;
- If wrong directives are given intentionally and followed, followers are not led, but misled;
- If directives are given, but not understood, or misunderstood, and the intended behaviour does take place, then this is not because of the directives, and no one is led;
- If given directives cannot be followed, for instance, because paths leading to the goals are not cleared, no one is led.
- Leadership requires transition, going from one situation to another.
2) What brings about leadership?
To find out what causes leadership, we must determine what causes
humans to follow the lead of others. Leadership can derive from various
sources, such as having ascendancy over others based on:
Rank
Custom
Expertise
Political influence
Charm
Strength
Other persuasive powers.
In considering whether to follow certain directives, prospective followers tend to weigh
(perceived) advantages and disadvantages of directives against each other, in
terms of expected outcome and consequences. That outcome and those consequences
can relate to many different things, such as organisational result or personal
benefit.
Example:
After the CEO ordered organisation members to exit the burning office building via the main doorway at the far end of the
building, a shop floor worker shouted: “No! This way!”, pointing at a nearby fire escape. You might imagine whose directives will be followed by the
organisation members positioned near the fire escape. |
Certain persuasive powers can come into existence by chance.
Leadership can be displayed by anyone, regardless of rank, but this is only effective if directives of one are followed by others. In that regard, it is important to realise that:
Leadership is domain specific
and
Leadership is conditional
Examples
In the following examples, Subject A is a mechanic and Subject B is an accountant.
Domain specificity
- Subject A may follow subject B’s directives on accounting, expecting benefit from it.
- Subject A may reject subject B’s directives on mechanics, expecting no benefit from it.
Conditionality
Furthermore, subject A may follow subject B’s directives under certain conditions (e.g. when A is desperate and needs
guidance), but not under other conditions.
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3) How to bring about leadership
To cause others to accept ones leadership and to follow ones lead, one needs to exert the persuasive powers that the situation at hand requires.
It serves to detach leadership from status of one individual, but instead regard it as a means for a collective, such as
an organisation, or a society to proceed towards achieving goals that benefit the collective.
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Twice a year, many geese migrate thousands of miles, the strongest alternately taking the lead along the way, sheltering their followers from the elements, sharing the burden so the entire flock can reach its destination.
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Different persuasive powers may have the upper hand over others, depending on the situation at hand.
For example: Under certain conditions, some may need certain expertise and prefer to follow directives of one who is perceived to have this specific expertise. To others,
or in other situations, there may be more need to remove certain obstacles to move ahead, strengthening willingness to follow one with relevant political influence to remove the pertaining obstacles.
It seems pointless to even start leadership development without understanding what leadership actually is or without knowing what causes it. Furthermore,
leadership development is less effective as it focuses less on what causes certain
prospective followers to follow – under certain conditions – (prospective) leaders that participate in a leadership development programme.
*Content of this posting is taken from:
Van Someren, R., 2016, Fundamentals of Organisations, The Hague, Van Someren, ISBN/EAN: 789079641109
Van Someren, R., 2014, Aptitude and Attitude as Constraints and Enablers in Organisation Development: An Elementary Model of Organisational Processes, The Hague, Van Someren, ISBN/EAN: 9789079641086
Dr. René Van Someren is an independent researcher, consultant and educator. His personal website is: www.rene.vansomeren.org
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