What is leadership? The viewpoint used by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in the famous Jacobellis v. Ohio case in 1964 regarding pornography and obscenity comes to mind: “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description…  but I know it when I see it…“ Like other things that we weakly try to define, in many cases we understand a concept by observation rather than by definition. The scientific method of laying down a hypothesis to be proven by evidence works to a certain degree, but the significance of the concept of leadership needs to be more flexible than an absolute definition can provide. It needs to be scalable to grow with the dynamics of a situation.
Intellectually we recognize the values and concepts of leadership, but there is a human, more emotional perspective related knee-jerk reaction that often replaces logic in our words. The term leadership is applied to situations where there is no leadership, such as “Our Congressional leaders have abandoned the electorate who chose them.†Well, by most definitions of leadership that is an oxymoron. A leader who doesn’t lead is not exhibiting leadership.
Leadership is not about popularity – It is human nature to be drawn to follow charismatic personalities. In real life a leader must often make unpopular decisions. There is such comfort in the status quo that sometimes the boat rocker is the best leader. They may intentionally create discontent to generate movement. The ability to visualize the future is more important toward achieving productivity than likeability. We follow meaningful contributors, not student body presidents.
Leadership is not a beauty contest – Look around for the ugly leaders in the company hierarchy and you will probably not find many people who are unattractive. It has been shown that attractiveness, especially in cross-gender relationships, is a contributing factor to the perception of power and influence. If there is an actual advantage, it would probably be generated from the psychological edge given to someone by a strong feeling of self worth and confidence. We follow the heart and soul of leaders, not prom queens.
Leadership is not democratic – In the spirit of democratic idealism we are lured into thinking that the masses can select good leaders. Even in small group interactions a leader will emerge almost naturally without the consent of the group. While listening to followers is a fertile field for growing ideas, somebody has to make a decision regarding virtually unlimited numbers of possible directions. Decisive action will win. Attempting to please or appease people will result unwinnable compromises. As followers we benefit most from those who naturally raise themselves up from the ranks to lead.
Leadership is not looking back – Resting on the laurels of past accomplishments shows stagnancy, not leadership. Past performance is essential to predict future performance, but the future will be likely to require different tactics than were useful for past practices. Boasting of previous successes is a sign of weakness and not evidence of leadership. Following those who possess a broad foundation of knowledge and are forward thinking signals the potential to lead.
Leadership is not defined by successes – Leaders who never fail will never learn from experience. In truth, leaders succeed by the success of those whom they influence. Developing the tenacity to cling to a problem until a solution is found is an experience not learned in leadership seminars. As followers we should look for that passion in those who have a fire in their belly and a light in their eyes that inspires others to action.
Obviously the opposite of almost every “not†listed here is a positive attribute of leadership. This flip side viewpoint is important to us so that we honestly assess our ability be good leaders AND followers. HR professionals should be obsessed about this concept for good reason… managing a resource composed of volatile human personalities requires dedicated leaders AND followers. Discussions about leadership and the characteristics of a good leader are helpful to give us a good look into the parts of human knowledge, training and instincts that rule our everyday lives. Are leaders born or made? The answer to that question is “Yes.†Ambiguous, but both inherited and environmental influences contribute to being a good leader.