From Here, To There.
It turns out that leadership is a phenomenon that is observed in retrospect, that is, after the fact, or at best it can be observed in motion and this is precisely because it is a social construct. The first responsibility of the leader is to define reality. This is with a view to develop a vision for a future that is better than here and now. It’s difficult to construct a strategy of a way forward unless you can properly evaluate where you are. A key requirement for leadership is followership. Are you a leader if no one is following? Perhaps you are greater than a leader, perhaps you are a trailblazer. Trailblazers, hats off to them, often don’t have the reinforcement of a close following to cement their conviction in their chosen direction and efforts. Before I digress, key to followership is loyalty and loyalty, on the surface, is solicited by providing a combination of immediate benefits and deferred benefits (though identity construction can also result in loyalty-discussion for another day). The deferred benefits, where loyalty has been attained, are a function of the personal aspirations of the followers. On closer inspection, deferred benefits, unless bound by contract, are not guaranteed therefore are not bankable. However, the genuine hope that deferred benefits will be fulfilled provides a measure of assurance and confidence. This hope combined with immediate benefits can help secure loyalty. Benefits, in this regard, depend on aspirations and do not necessarily mean greater financial reward; they could merely be a continuation of the status quo, or the personal satisfaction of changing the world or positively impacting the lives of other people.
The deferred benefits can be found in the company’s vision and its values and it is the authentic hope of the fulfilment of these benefits that further augments the immediate benefits to ensure loyalty. It follows therefore that beyond the range of benefits that leaders can provide followers immediately, leaders need to be master dealers of hope.
Hope then, with respect to loyalty, is a tradable commodity and the would-be leader can package and transact with hope, using it to augment immediate benefits to secure loyalty. As I’m sure you can see, this can be open to abuse and that’s where some transformational leaders have gone wrong. If genuine hope is a key commodity in securing loyalty then integrity is the currency with which it must be purchased, making authentic leadership the leadership style of choice. This is because personal leadership mediates the relationship between professional leadership and willing cooperation. Integrity moderates the association between leadership and loyalty. All you have to do observe this is to consider the disillusionment caused by transformational leaders who have acted without integrity in some capacity. Whether directly related to the execution of their duties, or not. My synthesized definition of leadership was thus: leadership is the articulation of a realistic and believable vision of the future that encapsulates the ambitions, material and immaterial, immediate and deferred, of the would-be followers and the generation of genuine hope for a better future through constant pursuit of a mutually beneficial partnership.
A consequence of this, therefore, is that if your vision for the future is not large enough, broad enough, deep enough, high enough to encapsulate the aspirations of the people you wish to lead, you cannot lead them. This means people can outgrow you, and sometimes you need to let them walk away because keeping them would only smother their potential. Mediocre leaders, on the other hand, try another tactic. Instead of having the strength and wisdom to let people walk away, they sometimes try to compensate for their mediocrity by trying to manipulate the aspirations of would be followers to a level which is within striking distance of their ability to deliver. I’m sure you can see what’s wrong with this picture. Great leaders, though, empower people not to need them and add multiplication to their purpose or cause. This is the cornerstone of a great legacy and the foundation of finishing strong.
Get it? Got it? Good!
I’m currently reading The Financial Times Guide to Leadership by Marianne Abib-Pech, a good read, if you care about being good for other people.
