Replying to LO28561 --
Everybody is a leader or can take up the leadership role in any situation
involving two or more people. The moment you take ownership of a situation
(a problem, an issue, a performance, a result, even a message) you're a
leader. The task of a leader is - in the beginning - to define the
situation and - in the end - to say thank you. The leader supplies context
to the different functions, accountants, pianists, teachers. The issue is
- as i read the question - what if a leader takes his or hers role
personally, why do some people identify themselves with the leadership
role?
The answer might be, that some people assume that their can be only one
Leader, one size fits all, one true leader, with the exclusion of others -
except for those that take on leadership role derived from the Leader
through delegation - and that this role is not derived from the leaded,
but from some external source. If some or all of the followers also assume
that the way they should be lead is through a leader whose power or
authority comes from outside the group, the situation closes on itself.
Leadership becomes a selffulfilling prophecy and any initiative or
creativity or self-management is ended.
The True Leaders know this and will only identify with the role through a
autorization process and for the time being, even within a situation were
he or she is appointed by a higher leadership. We all need a leader when
situations we cannot handle ourselves emerges. I, for instance, need a
leader when i go shopping, when raising children, when there is an accute
emergency situation, when planning a holiday, when promotions have to be
discussed, when a budget has to be approved etc. etc.
Please feel free to note that the role of a leader is ambigious,
self-referent and a bit contradictionary.
Thank you,
Jan Lelie
John Zavacki wrote:
> Too much we quantify, too little we quantify. Too much we think, to
> little we think. And feel. And wonder.
--With kind regards - met vriendelijke groeten,
Jan Lelie
LOGISENS - Sparring Partner in Logistical Development mind@work est. 1998 - Group Resolution Process Support Tel.: (+31) (0)70 3243475 or GSM (car): (+31)(0)65 4685114 http://www.mindatwork.nl info@mindatwork.nl
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <Richard@Karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>
"Learning-org" and the format of our message identifiers (LO1234, etc.) are trademarks of Richard Karash.