Old leadership model - A great hero, charismatic and influential, able to take a group and spur them on towards the attainment of their goals. Think of old army leaders, sat their horses, facing their troops before battle to give them one last motivational boost.
This 'heroic' paradigm, only slightly exaggerated here, is what influence business books, courses and practice starting from around the 70s. But the times, as they say, they are a-changing, and new paradigms are now focused around balancing efficiency and productivity with a concern for the needs of the followers.
Problems with the old model
What if the heroic leader doesn't turn out to be all that heroic? Self-serving individuals can cause all manner of havoc, particularly if they are in leadership positions, and even more so in senior leadership positions. Scandals such as Enron have been ascribed by some people to the arrogance of the executives.
Also, leadership does not reside within one or two individuals, in any but the smallest collaborative organisations. There may be a finite amount of leadership to go around, but this is spread throughout the group, and thinking otherwise can hinder productive collaboration, and as Roger Martin notes, cause followers to become under-responsible in their roles.
New Perspectives
Recent research in leadership has offered some new suggestions for effective leadership. These include:
1. Value Individuals - Leaders must be aware of their follower's needs which includes being aware of their stage of development and offering support and and appropriate level of challenge for them to learn and grow, perhaps into leaders themselves.
2. Acting with Integrity - According to Gallup, what followers look for the most in their leader is trust, compassion, stability and hope. This means openness and honesty, and an evenhanded way of dealing with followers.
3. Leverage your talents - There is no one perfect mould of a leader; rather, leaders have knowledge of their own leadership strengths, and they are able to leverage by finding way to apply their own strengths, and building a team around those talents they lack.
This new paradigm is emerging from research in the UK and the US. The idea of the heroic leader, although perfect material for Hollywood, is not the most effective way to capitalise on the talent within an organisation. The new models allow for stronger collaboration and a better working environment, allowing staff to learn and grow, as well, of course, as keeping due focus on the bottom line.
by Warren Davies
Warren Davies is a psychology student, about to take the masters in applied positive psychology at UEL. His website, http://generallythinking.com, contains more articles explaining psychology in plain English, as well as practical advice that has come out of this field. Updated regularly, there are currently over 60 articles online - visit now to check them out!
15 years ago
