I was intrigued as I looked for an image to include on my previous post of the different ideas of what leadership is, or how it is seen by different people.
I just put the query into google, searching for images associated with leadership and here are some that came up, in fact I would say these represent the majority of the images.
What I found interesting was how in each of these images the leader was seen as a bigger, a more important person than the rest of the team.
It also occurred to me that all of the bosses that I had worked for who I would call bad bosses, all of them had this view of leadership, that somehow they were bigger, better or more important than the rest of the team.
That they were a king and we were mere pawns.
That is was them who were most important, that they were carrying the rest of the team and that we were lucky to have them as our leaders.
Now whilst it’s true that by being a leader, it does set you apart from the rest, but it doesn’t make you a bigger, better or more intelligent person, it doesn’t even necessarily make you the most important.
It does put you in charge, but if you act in a way that you are special, then it will alienate you from your team.
On the contrary, all the good bosses that I have worked for, and I’d like to think I took this approach myself, they saw themselves just as ordinary people, no better or worse than anyone, the only difference was they were in charge.
They were the lead pawn, they didn’t seem themselves as kings.
It can be easy, when in a leadership position, to feel that you are special, that you are better than the others, that you are a king, but these are not the thoughts or feelings of a good leader, nor should these reflect in our actions or how we treat people.
Take a look at your own leadership style and how you see yourself, get the view of others, and find out if they see you as lead pawn, or as a king.
If it’s the latter then it’s time to take action as your on the wrong path.
Nice article, Gordon, and you are exactly right. There is plenty of evidence that people more readily follow humble leaders. I’ve written about that subject myself but it is something that needs and deserves continued attention.
If you read Good to Great it talks about Level 5 Leaders and being humble is one of the key criteria for being a Level 5 leader. I agree it needs more talking about 🙂
I had the honor of contributing chapter 6 of Dr. Rich Schuttler’s latest book, Everyday Leader Heroes. That chapter was all about the humble quality (humility) and its impact. It’s good to know that trait receives attention in multiple forums.
A true leader is always humble! In today’s economy, in order to mobilize knowledge workers you can’t afford to alienate them.
Managing is about organizing people to deal with complexity and leadership is about preparing & grooming people to deal with change
Anytime a person says they are the leader – they aren’t! True leaders influence and guide, and others look to them for answers and support. But they never stand above. They always stand with the others and support the direction the team is going.
Steve there is a great scene in Game of Thrones when Joffrey says ‘I am the King!’ and his grandfather Tywin say ‘any man who has to say – I am the king – is no king at all’.
I fully agree with you, the more often you have to say i am the leader the less influence and confidence in your own leadership you have
Jim, congratulations of the book, and i think it i a topic of importance, as it has a massive impact on employee engagement and the culture of the leader
Sarbjeet,you’re right, in todays economy we have to deal with knowledge workers and these are usually distributed and require us t connect with them, which is difficult for leads to do if they are only concerned with their own self importance
Gordon, the scary part is that your google resulted in pictures of the “Great Man” theory versus the servant leader. Too often the perception of leadership is the king, when they really are looking for the level 5 leader. Leaders require followers and followers need to be more forceful in who they support. Authentic leadership understands that just because you are in charge, doesn’t mean you are the leader.
Some times people can be both a servant and a great man, but you become great because of what you do, not because of a title