- Some of us need to assert, differentiate, individuate ourselves.
- Others have stronger needs to merge with, depend on, or look up to others.
- We all turn for help when stressed and there is a lot of that around today.
- The psychology of leadership is basically paternalistic - we are looking for a father figure in our leaders.
What are your basic needs?
- If your focus is on differentiating yourself and you are a knowledge worker, you will be most impressed by experts in your field who are excelling - they will lead you and inspire you to surpass them.
- You will be less influenced by those who have only a position in a managerial hierarchy - their authority is likely to have little impact on you.
- If you like to depend on, or look up to, others, you may admire the traditional leader.
- Leaders, like other heroes, are often good role models - they help us learn how to meet our own goals and function independently.
- Even the most confident need to benchmark themselves against those who seem better at them at something.
- As in sports, no one would really excel if there was no one to beat.
- Ideally, we want a balance of independent confidence and role models to learn from.
- Too much independence leads to being divorced from reality.
- Too much dependence and we can never be leaders ourselves.
- When tempted to blame leaders ask yourself: ''What could I have done about it?''
- Or, when confused and seeking leadership, try thinking it through for yourself.
- When we blame leaders or expect too much of them, we are disempowering ourselves.
- What initiative can you take? What suggestions can you offer?
- Develop a greater external focus so you can spot opportunities before others.
- Stay too internally focused and you will be thinking in a vacuum - no ideas there.
- Leadership is often a matter of discovery - but you need to be actively looking to discover anything new.
- Next time you are tempted to throw up your hands and say you have no solution, try looking around just a bit harder.
- Ask yourself, honestly: ''How strongly do I really need leadership from others?''
- Being more confident and empowered does not mean ignoring good leadership when it comes your way. Just try to be less quick to seek leadership the minute you get stuck.
- This is not about not talking through issues with people - team work is not the same as depending on a leader to solve all our problems.
Do you think leadership should be redefined for a 21st century world? Is it possible that our current concept of leadership is not working? Is there room for heroic leadership today or is it now all about post-heroic leadership? Is emotional intelligence always essential for leadership? Is leadership a role, like being a CEO? |
Challenging conventional thinking about leadership
 See LEAD2XL for latest articles on leadership by Mitch McCrimmon
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