By Jeff Bell
The burden of leadership can create wildly differing responses.
Classically, the leader (the champion of a cause) rises to the occasion, gathers support and wins the day. Peace and prosperity follow. We may be talking, for instance, of medieval England or current day Australia—the cycle is as old as humankind.
However, on occasion I have seen a leader under pressure lie doggo—keeping a low profile, remaining passive when a threat arises. Reluctant.
It is an interesting tactic and can be disarming, but only temporarily. In the business context, the owners and other stakeholders, especially the people, can be aghast when they hear the leader say:
“If this continues, I will walk away. I don’t have to be the boss you know. I really don’t need it.”
Such a reaction will be borne of Leadership by Mandate—someone who has been appointed to the role.
Lying doggo may be a bluff, but it cannot be taken back and it cannot last. It’s a retreat into dereliction of duty.
Authentic leadership, Leadership by Influence, happens when there is:
- A cause. There will be a significant body of people who feel that they have been severely disadvantaged, even oppressed. They will feel that they have been denied what is rightfully theirs and they are searching, for someone to lead them to regain it—an overthrow of the status quo and its tyrant with some new order in the offing.
- Publicity of the cause. A recognised talker or writer—a militant person of words—probably under great danger to himself, tells it like it really is. He undermines the status quo, highlights the suffering of the oppressed, articulates an inspiring solution and a yearning for some new order. This strikes a chord with the oppressed and their expectations soar.
- Deep self-confidence of the leader. At the top of her game, the leader will take on and champion the cause—most likely stepping from the ranks of the oppressed. She will have an unshakable sense of destiny and feel that her time to lead has arrived. She will be full of passion for the cause, charismatic and brimming with energy.
- Acute understanding of the people. He will know what the people have been through and feel their pain. He will tap into their grievances, constantly re-looping to the words of the militant person of words, embedding them as the language of the cause. He will be an accomplished user of all media but will make widespread and enduring personal contact.
- An inspiring pathway to success. Those who have been oppressed and their sympathisers will join out of altruism and stay for the learning, the experience, the achievement, the awards, the recognition and the excitement of the journey. The leader will help them achieve what they have been yearning for—something they have lost and something truly uplifting and beneficial.
As the momentum builds and becomes irresistible, the leader creates structure:
- She will state the purpose of the movement and the world that awaits. Why does this new organisation exist and how can people feel that they truly belong?
- He will articulate the values of this organisation—what he, it, and everyone who is part of it—stands for. Attached to each value will be a set of understandable behaviours.
- She will craft a vision for the organisation. This will be something on a 10 year horizon that seems out of reach at present, but which people will find inspirational.
- He will devise a set of strategic goals, each inspirational in their own right, that will ensure the entrenchment of the new order over the next 5 years.
- She will have her band of lieutenants—her executive team—work on the implementation schedule for each goal, crafting doable steps and accountability for each. Everyone will contribute.
Whether by mandate or influence, an authentic leader seizes the opportunity, knowing that there are no guarantees.
Winston Churchill said that: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal,
it is the courage to continue that counts.”
The organisation and the people are expecting to continue. The leader must proceed with courage or depart immediately.
Reluctant leadership serves no people, no cause.