The topic of "true" leadership is often banded around by different experts. Whether those experts are disgruntled recipients of leadership, self appointed gurus, or happy practitioners, everybody thinks that they have leadership figured out. And that is not a bad thing in itself. We need to acknowledge that everybody has a different definition of leadership and different experiences in applying leadership.
One thing that I have noticed is that the general perspective of leadership seems to be someone that is at the summit of decision making, someone we think is going to provide answers to sticky situations. No matter if this statement is correct, leadership certainly requires this trait, it has also nudged us into a comfortable, but dangerous place. Comfortable because someone is providing direction so you don't have to engage with it, dangerous as you assume that this is the correct direction.
As humans we are hardwired to value the feeling of safety that much, that it even trumps common sense and insights. The list of biases we fall victim to is long and deep.
Perhaps in response to our negative experiences with leadership directions, leadership nowadays gets challenged more and more to play the role of supporter over director. Simply google soft leadership skills and you'll be met by an avalanche of books, articles, and blogs on how to become a more supportive leader.
One of the more defiant statements I've heard recently was that leaders should be the dumbest person in the room. In essence, get back to the fundamentals, ask the basic questions and support others to maximize their potential. Now, we don't like to come off as a dumb person. You could make the case that especially leaders should not come off as dumb. You could also argue that other leaders have recently taken this stance too far (Trump/Boris Johnson/...). In general, people rely on their leaders to take charge, know what they are talking about, and keep a cool head.
I think it is a case of making the decision to always value the supportive leadership trait over the directive trait. Meaning, if you are asked to determine direction, you should value the opinions, thoughts, and feedback of others over setting the direction upfront.
The best leaders that I can think of were the ones that did not shy away from making tough choices but would also value and support the expertise of their people in any way they could think of first.
What's your idea of healthy leadership?
One thing that I have noticed is that the general perspective of leadership seems to be someone that is at the summit of decision making, someone we think is going to provide answers to sticky situations. No matter if this statement is correct, leadership certainly requires this trait, it has also nudged us into a comfortable, but dangerous place. Comfortable because someone is providing direction so you don't have to engage with it, dangerous as you assume that this is the correct direction.
As humans we are hardwired to value the feeling of safety that much, that it even trumps common sense and insights. The list of biases we fall victim to is long and deep.
Perhaps in response to our negative experiences with leadership directions, leadership nowadays gets challenged more and more to play the role of supporter over director. Simply google soft leadership skills and you'll be met by an avalanche of books, articles, and blogs on how to become a more supportive leader.
One of the more defiant statements I've heard recently was that leaders should be the dumbest person in the room. In essence, get back to the fundamentals, ask the basic questions and support others to maximize their potential. Now, we don't like to come off as a dumb person. You could make the case that especially leaders should not come off as dumb. You could also argue that other leaders have recently taken this stance too far (Trump/Boris Johnson/...). In general, people rely on their leaders to take charge, know what they are talking about, and keep a cool head.
I think it is a case of making the decision to always value the supportive leadership trait over the directive trait. Meaning, if you are asked to determine direction, you should value the opinions, thoughts, and feedback of others over setting the direction upfront.
The best leaders that I can think of were the ones that did not shy away from making tough choices but would also value and support the expertise of their people in any way they could think of first.
What's your idea of healthy leadership?