Eugene Gallagher addresses the issue of the general confusion surrounding the concept of leadership. A confusion resulting in organisations being unable to avail of the benefits that the exercise of leadership would bring to the enterprise.
Over 25 years ago Warren Bennis described leadership as 'the least understood phenomenon in the world'. Sadly it remains so today as Henry Mintzberg, another founding father of modern management states in a recent interview in 'Management Issues': "... so-called experts on leadership belonging to today's business schools and management consultancies, fail to see things as they are. Rather, they shoot their mouths off about leadership without really knowing what it means".
Even the learned Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, replying to a question put by Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian, admitted that: "Leadership is, to me, a very, very murky and complicated concept." Now it may be the case that there is no definitive definition of leadership, however, every leader, every manager in order to enhance the possibility of success, must have a clear and unambiguous understanding of when leadership is being exercised and when it is not.
"we must address these [leadership] contradictions and replace them with a much more concrete and coherent understanding that will benefit development both at the business and organisational levels of human enterprise."The vast range of information relating to management and leadership development, available and familiar to readers of TrainingZone, is a treasure trove for modern businesses, especially in the present shaky economic climate. Nevertheless, research has failed to provide irrefutable evidence that the thousands of books and articles, along with the hundreds of programmes relating to leadership development in recent years have had a positive impact regarding the bottom-line, nor on the sustainable success of our businesses and organisations.
Much of the present approach to the concept of leadership lacks empirical rigour
Sadly, much of the present approach to the concept of leadership lacks empirical rigour and is beset with contradictions that tend to lessen the possibility of any positive consequence that the exercise of leadership could bring to the enterprise. In order to remedy this situation we must address these contradictions and replace them with a much more concrete and coherent understanding that will benefit development both at the business and organisational levels of human enterprise.
Everyone seems to agree that leadership is something worthwhile. The problem is that each 'expert' has in effect their own 'theory' of leadership. Indeed, there are so many variant views on what leadership is about that the term itself is rendered meaningless.
Today, with the increasing recognition being given to leadership it is perhaps surprising that so few organisations have policies, or indeed, strategies for leadership understanding and development and its utilisation within their organisations. Again, maybe it is not so surprising when one considers how the word leadership itself is carelessly used throughout the public domain.
Leadership and leaders are not the same
If leadership is something positive, something we aspire to, as I believe it is, then surely to imply that there is 'good', 'strong', 'effective' leadership etc., implies that there exists 'bad', 'weak', 'ineffective' leadership, terms that the media are fond of using, as are all too many leadership and management exponents. This inherent contradiction mitigates our attempts to understand leadership and its beneficial and constructive role in the world.
Does it follow that we can approach the word 'leader' in the same way? The answer is no. We do have 'effective' leaders, we have 'strong' leaders and 'good' leaders but we also have ineffective leaders, weak leaders, and of course, bad leaders.
"There is nothing new or privileged about leadership. Nor is the exercise of leadership in any way mystical or mysterious."
Meanwhile, effective leaders, just as with effective management, encourage the exercise of leadership, even if they call it something different, and do so by adopting and nurturing various human attributes such as integrity, courage, compassion, shared learning, humility, empathy, stewardship, reflectivity, etc. Unfortunately history is peppered with leaders who commanded few, if any, of the above attributes and the consequences have almost always proved to be disastrous.
It is unfortunately the case that in the vast majority of organisations, be it in the private and public sectors, neither the exercise of leadership nor the adoption and application of its counterpart 'shared learning', both indispensable components of any successful and enduring enterprise, play a significant part in overall operation. It is worth noting that harnessing of the power of the exercise of leadership results in the shared learning that allows the enterprise and its people to gain that sense of achievement, leading to a joint determination to succeed.
Leadership manifests itself where people cooperate and work effectively together for the common good.
We could say that leadership manifests itself where people cooperate and work effectively together for the common good. There is nothing new or privileged about leadership. Nor is the exercise of leadership in any way mystical or mysterious. When practised, it is the property of all involved in the enterprise. Increasingly research is pointing to the fact that the exercise of leadership, properly understood and applied, leads to the growth of learning necessary to ensure continuing success and sustainability.
It is therefore time to remove 'leadership' from its shaky pedestal at the top of the organisation and place it where it truly belongs, the foundation of organisational development. Leadership is not about controlling or simply directing others, but about engaging with them. It is about creating a culture within which all can take responsibility. This means leaders and managers sharing power and encouraging shared decision-making whenever possible.
The exercise of leadership is not susceptible to changing interpretations, to fashion etc. Leadership is not so much about the individual as about the totality of social and organisational life.
Finally, if leadership is neither understood nor exercised, then its positive impact on the process of bringing about necessary change regarding the future and sustainable success of the enterprise is seriously curtailed.
Eugene Gallagher managed his own manufacturing business for 16 years before completing his degree in organisational psychology and his PGCEA in educational Management. He is co-founder of Leadership and Learning Pathways, a web-based support hub for business and organisations in both the private and public sectors. You can visit the LLP (work in progress) website at: http://www.leadershipandlearningpathways.co.uk
