Recently I talked to a significant
group of business leaders in an
effort to help them understand
their roles as leaders in their large metropolitan
community.
"What, above all else, determines
the effectiveness of a leader?" I asked.
I thought this was as good a question
as any to start off the day's program.
One at a time, people began calling
out admirable character traits.
"Good listening skills."
"Ability to make good decisions."
"Honesty."
"Integrity."
"Strong values."
"Clear thinking."
"Compassion."
"Inclusion and consideration."
And so on ...
I was careful to record each
response on the nice flip chart. Once
the group seemed satisfied with the
long list I had dutifully recorded, I put
the cap back on my pen and thought
about how best to proceed.
"Hmmm," I said as we all considered
our list. "These are great qualities
for a leader to have, however, my question
was, 'What, above all else, determines
the effectiveness of a leader?' "
I decided that perhaps it would help
them if we approached this from a different
angle.
"Let's consider Adolf Hitler. While
it can be argued that he was evil incarnate,
wasn't he in fact quite effective
as a leader for quite a while?"
I could see that this question created
some discomfort in the group.
When I asked them why they were
uncomfortable with my question, they
let me know in no uncertain terms that
Hitler, or any other "bad-guy," could
not be considered as an effective
leader.
After much discussion (some of it
quite heated), the group decided that
their concept of leadership was a
noble and highly regarded mantelpiece
ideal, and they just couldn't
comprehend how it could be applied
to "bad" people. They truly felt that
leadership, after all, is a noble role to
be bestowed upon only the most honorable
well-deserved.
At that moment, my heart went out
to each and every one of those community
leaders. You see, I knew why they
were so conflicted. While their brains
and experience knew that it was possible
for bad people to be effective leaders,
all of their recent training had
taught them that leadership was determined
by only positive characteristics.
Having been in this position so
many times before, I knew that I risked
seeming the heretic in the eyes of the
group, but I also knew that to be
responsible to my charge of teaching
them the true essence of leadership, I
would have to help them understand
that leadership and honorable characteristics
are not inextricably attached.
So what did I end up sharing with
such an esteemed group of leaders
about the essence of leadership?
Simply this: Above all else — the
thing that determines the effectiveness
of a leader ... is the willingness of others to follow.
People could embody the epitome
of honesty, compassion, integrity, and
all the rest, but if they were to turn
around and look behind them and see
that no one is following — they need
to do the math ... they are not leading.
I am not in any way saying that I
wouldn't like all leaders to be honest,
compassionate, loving, and caring.
I'm simply pointing out the popular,
conventional disconnect about leadership
that I call The Leadership Myth.
As a society we are doing ourselves a
great disservice by confusing our concepts
of goodness with our concepts
of what makes an effective leader. By
doing so, we run the dangerous risk of
creating a society of nice people who
can't lead.
We've come to this point honestly.
We are attracted to the concept that all
leaders should be good and that if we
are to learn to be effective leaders, we
should learn to also be good leaders.
The problem is that in reality, it is a
proven fact that the effectiveness of a
leader does not rely on the level of
goodness of the leader.
Goodness is an honorable, laudable,
and respectable goal. I personally
believe (and have made an honest living
showing) that these human traits,
combined with a great understanding
of why people choose to follow, can
make incredibly effective leaders who
will edify all whom they touch as they
help to create a better future for those
who willingly follow. However, all of
the goodness in the world doesn't necessarily
create an effective leader any
more than the lack of goodness can
prevent one from leading. This is the
biggest problem I have with the
Leadership Myth as it's taught in our
society today.
In business, parenting, or politics,
effective leaders throughout history
have demonstrated the following five
abilities:
-
Leaders concisely communicate
the ideal in mythological, yet
simple, terms.
- Leaders convey that they identify
with the "pain" of their people.
- Leaders simply, clearly, and
emphatically communicate the
goal in a compelling manner.
- Leaders project the power of
faith, hope, and courage in the
face of adversity.
- Leaders consistently and relentlessly
demonstrate the strength of
their convictions.
In an effort to help those of you who
are already good people and would
like to become more effective leaders,
I would like to further examine each of
these elements one at a time.
1. Leaders concisely communicate the ideal in mythological, yet simple, terms.
Myths are stories. In fact, the word myth comes from the Greek word mythos,
which means "story". Myths are not necessarily true but are greater
and more powerful than truth. Myths drive cultures. This is how CEOs and presidents
have been credited for turning a people, a country, or a business around. If
you pay close attention to the transformational time, they were able not only
to change or affect specifics, they were also able to drive new stories and
meanings into the culture that drove the key changes within the culture.
2. Leaders convey that they identify with the "pain" of their
people.
Any good psychiatrist or psychoanalyst will tell you that one of the most important
maxims of his or her work is to "Honor the pain, not the problem."
Every good salesperson knows that the more that customers think you understand
their pain, the more likely they'll be willing to trust your recommended
remedy. And every effective leader knows that people will be far more willing
to follow a leader whom they believe understands them. I'll guarantee
that any leader who fails to empathize before he or she criticizes has few willing
followers.
3. Leaders simply, clearly, and emphatically communicate the goal in a compelling
manner.
Most people think that their job is to develop the plan. However, this isn't
true. What is incumbent upon the leader is to be clear and unwavering about
the goal. Consider when President Kennedy told us we were going to put a man
on the moon, or when President Reagan defiantly commanded, "Tear down
that wall." They didn't tell us how these things were going to happen.
They knew that if their message was compelling enough, others would help make
the goal a reality.
4. Leaders project the power of faith, hope, and courage in the face of adversity.
Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Martin Luther King,
Susan B. Anthony. These are people who demonstrated unwavering conviction in
times that threatened all they believed in. Yet, they all prevailed. The German
philosopher Hegel said, "Struggle is the law of growth." Leaders
need to demonstrate that they have struggled for their growth to the point of
developing personal and compelling reasons for their convictions. They then
need to communicate their experiences, as well as their convictions, in a way
that is mythical in the minds of their followers.
5. Leaders consistently and relentlessly demonstrate the strength of their
convictions.
In the absence of certainty, we require faith and hope in order to act with
conviction. When we are trying to create a different outcome that doesn't
currently exist, we need to actually believe that it can. This is where a leader
is critical in helping us believe in our goals and ourselves. Without such belief
and hope, we would not be able to do what is necessary to create the desired
new outcome.
By definition, leadership is determined
by the willingness of others to
follow. Unfortunately, history has
shown us time and again that bad people
can have the ability to get people
to willingly follow them. Throughout
time, in business and in battle, we
have seen countless examples of how
leadership was determined more by
one's ability to influence than by one's
character. This is why those leaders
who have been pure of heart are so few
and far between. Bad people will continue
to influence with varying levels
of success. That is why it's critically
important that we understand the true
reasons people willingly follow and
the only true way to help good people
become great leaders.
Learn more about Joe Caruso and his powerful program The Principles of Authentic Power and the Caruso Leadership Institute.