Replying to LO27915 --
John Zavacki commented on leadership
> I have seen organizations rise to the top of their class and then sink
> back into mediocrity or even worse. I think it has to do with continuity
> of leadership, the faith of the community in that leadership, and the
> ability of the leadership to pass on not only the baton of effective
> leadership, but all of its hallmark behaviors.
It is a long while since I have contributed to this group and John's
comment on baton of leadership has prompted a break in my silence.
Last year, I attended a workshop at the Institute of Group Analysis in
London conducted along the format of small and large experiential groups.
The final session was a large group organised in a spiral. Well, the
staff organising the workshop arrived last and took up the only spare
seats at the centre of the spiral. The group provided a rich environment
to examine issues of authority, power and leadership. There were
challenges from the outer spiral aimed at the centre. There were displays
of power and authority by the centre of the spiral. Comments from the
group facilitator, who sat at the centre of the spiral, " Had we come to
watch the stags fight? Did we want to see blood spilt? ". In my view, the
comments were more to do with his vision of the world than mine.
However, my later reflection led me to a theory about leadership.
Leadership could be viewed as falling along a continuum defined by two
extremes. At one extreme, there is leadership by the sword and at the
other leadership by the baton. The sword of leadership is for directing
the followers and, more importantly, warding off those seen as rivals.
It is this view that leads to "the stags fighting and the spilt blood".
It has its roots in the value of binary competition (winning or losing)
being the key decision factor over all other human values. The baton of
leadership is about sharing the role of leadership as appropriate to the
times and circumstances with a peaceful transition between leaders. An
unfortunate side affect of a long term of leadership by the sword is the
absence of potential leaders amongst the followers. The British
Conservative Party is a classic example of what happens after a long
period of leadership by the sword. It is still suffering from the
Thatcher years.
To return to the original question, "does anything make a difference in
the long term? ". Does the gardener make a difference in the long term to
the garden?
Roy Benford
Change Management Consultant
--"Roy Benford" <roy@benford.demon.co.uk>
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