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For a good many years I failed at my attempts to lead, even though I had the technical skills to understand what tasks needed to be completed. I would continually ask my mentors what I was doing wrong. I was even more frustrated when their answer would be something akin to "You just need to take charge." Before long, I figured out that those who know how to lead (those who seemed "naturally gifted") don't customarily know how to teach what they do to those who have never managed. A similar analogy would be that of a math teacher frustrated with his or her student. Said teacher may have always been "gifted" at mathematical ability; consequently, the teacher does not have the perspective and frame of reference to understand why a learning-disabled student finds the problems so difficult.
When I chose this research project with the premise (or question) "Can non-leaders become leaders?" I was eager to discover important answers to my questions. Hopefully I would be able to culminate what I discovered into a useful set of algorithms I could employ at each new job assignment for the rest of my life. Perhaps I could help others who had experienced similar disappointments.
I was disappointed in what I found. Here is an example from a very well-respected author on the subject of leadership:
Leadership has been conceived as the focus of group processes. As a matter of personality, as a matter of inducting compliance, as the exercise of influence, as particular behaviors, as a form of persuasion, as a power relation, as an instrument to achieve goals, as an effect of interaction, as a differentiated role, as initiation of structure, and as many combinations of these definitions (Bass 10).
This raised a few questions in my mind:
What I need is a chapter entitled "How you do it."
I then moved on to Philip Crosby's "Running Things," and came upon this initial paragraph:
When I was in Woodsdale Grammar School in Wheeling, West Virginia, some time ago -- roughly between the use of slate and chalk and the beginning of computers -- I began to recognize that some people could lead and others couldn't.
That lead to my next fear: are leaders "naturals," and if so, was I forever doomed to not be one?
I had hoped to find an answer at a speaking engagement scheduled here at UMass Dartmouth. The presentation was given by Dr. Daniel Switchenko, Former Head Basketball Coach at Eastern Connecticut State. The posters on campus walls read: "GOOD LEADERSHIP MAKES A DIFFERENCE." The outline of agenda included:
I had every reason to believe this lecture would be the ideal starting point for my research. I headed to the lecture hall in eager anticipation.
Dan began his lecture by stating that in this level of university setting, an athlete must "love" the sport he or she plays; after all, there are very few scholarships awarded at state-funded colleges. That seemed a reasonable deduction, but then Dan alluded that this factor of intense drive would necessarily, almost automatically, render the athlete highly motivated to be a leader. I might have been able to "buy" that theory, but that wasn't the reason Dan came to talk, and it didn't address the issue of the "anomaly" athlete who was NOT naturally motivated to be a team captain.
Dan's prescription for being a leader included the following:
I won't expand on the details Switchenko used to describe each of these attributes. They were simplistic, and the definitions assumed irascible player attitudes. My conclusion was that this was not a seminar on leadership at all, but in fact a "pep talk." As college students of freshmen level and above, the audience was well beyond the target level of this presentation. They resented being "spoken down to," and I left the lecture hall equally disappointed.
Over time, society has upheld athletes and warriors as exemplary leaders. If this lecture was any indication of athletes' focus level, then I could feel reasonably assured that athletes were NOT "leaders" I should try and emulate. Not only that, but since I didn't pick up on the "magic" evoked by the speaker's style and wisdom, surely this meant that leaders get their leadership ability at birth; consequently, I would never have hope of becoming a leader. My assumption is somewhat augmented by one of William Cohen's premises: "But it was a fact that a West Point graduate had a better chance of becoming a general if he had been an athlete while a cadet. As a result of [this] research, athletics became required for all cadets" (Cohen 101).
Bass and Switchenko's definitions of leadership were typical of most that I came upon. The procedures outlined in text assumed that the reader had already experienced some aspects of leadership. By contrast, I had gotten through my nineteenth year of life being a submissive follower - somewhat typical of a person with my short stature. While growing up, I would assist whenever asked to do so; once I was dismissed, I would say thank you to the person I helped. Consequently, the procedures and definitions used by "How to" authors were ethereal to me. Analogically, the experience was a lot like learning meditation - "it's easy -- just relax totally." the aficionados would say. But, for a person who had never in his life been completely relaxed, the idea of releasing tension from each and every muscle and joint in the body would be unfathomable.
I was frustrated, because I knew that many were asking the same questions about leadership I was; nevertheless, I didn't give up. Haphazardly, I came upon Bill D. Schul's "How to be an Effective Group Leader." When I got to page six of the book, I read: "Effective leadership does not automatically happen. It requires thought, study, and practice. While it may be true that some persons have a certain knack for leading others, chances are that their experiences have prepared them for leadership." Continuing to read, I acknowledged that the steps to leadership would not be easy - I hardly expected that - but they were possible to almost anyone provided the person was willing to expend effort, and particularly, dedication.
I've consolidated these nine characteristics from several authors, based on the order of priority and ease of comprehension. There are strong philosophical similarities from one author to the next; however, the manners of expression are dramatically different.
A leader:
Don't wait for a job promotion to demonstrate leadership. A worthy analogy is the old story about the freezing man and the wood-burning stove. The man looked at the wood-burning stove and said "Give me heat and then I will give you wood" (Cohen 5). Obviously one must put wood in a fireplace before he or she can have fire to get heat. The same is true of promotion. If you want to get promoted, you need to demonstrate leadership ability first; otherwise, you may never be awarded an opportunity to advance in the company (Cohen 5).
Don't Just Manage:
Leadership is not equal to the term 'Management.' "In business, we see an evolution of the concept of leadership. For decades, the term leadership referred to the people who hold top management positions and the functions they serve. In our common usage, it still does. Recently, however, business people have drawn a distinction between leadership and management, and exercising leadership has also come to mean providing a vision and influencing others to realize it through non-coerciveness" (Heifetz 15).
Do Develop Magnetism. "The first characteristic of magnetism is one of activity. All magnetic people are active. They wear out their shoes, not their trousers. They stand up when they could sit down; they move when they might stand still. You do not need to be born with this love of activity but you can practice being more active" (Schul 12). "Magnetic people are enthusiastic when they speak. They often speak rapidly. Try listening to radio and television news commentators, and repeat the words after them. You will notice that their voices go up slightly at the end of sentences, which helps to keep listeners expectant. When your voice trails off, you lose listeners. Keep your voice exciting, end a thought with a certain emphasis, and you will keep their attention (Schul 13).
Do things, accomplished by acting through others. Regardless of your abilities, there are many important tasks that you simply cannot attain without the help of others. Few if any individuals have ever become successful by themselves or by virtue of what they can do by themselves (Cohen 3). It's important to "win the minds" of those around you. By doing so, you can help people "do things that they didn't know they could do, or didn't know needed to be done" (Cohen 11).
Do get people to follow you:
Do practice Watchful Waiting and proper timing. There are times it will be appropriate to wait for certain events to take place before members of the group can be made aware of a problem. This is because not all members of your group can manifest the vision needed to see the problem (Schul 29). Sometimes allowing the group to discover the problem on their own can be a growth opportunity. On other occasions it is necessary to advise the group quickly in order to avoid a crisis. Still another situation would be to avoid divulging information if it would cause unnecessary worry, such as questionable ability to meet payroll - a situation that will probably get resolved in time. In each case, the question whether to tell or not tell may have important implications with respect to pride, feeling of accomplishment, and company security.
Do get along with people. Perhaps the most important aspect of being a leader is the ability to get along favorably with a wide variety of different personalities. In a 1969 studyconducted by Graduate psychology students at Harvard University, only one-third of the 4,000 persons interviewed lost their jobs because of lacking skills. The other two-thirds were fired because they conflicted with their fellow workers (Schul 50). There is an urgency to adjust to different types of people; after all, such a skill will be just as effective in one workplace as it will in another (Schul 50).
The first priority in getting along with others is to get along with oneself. If a manager is given to panic or internal conflict, he or she will probably radiate those negative attributes to co-workers and subordinates. Situations will certainly make us angry and/or anxious, but it is important not to lose our temper - once that has happened, we have lost control of ourselves and probably the respect of those around us. As mentioned earlier, buck-passing will cause the leader to summarily lose any respect he or she once had as being a leader(Schul 50).
Many years ago, the one boss for whom I had the highest respect offered me this advice: "Find your very worst enemy in the company, and do whatever you have to do to make that person your best friend." My boss was absolutely right, and Bill Schul concurs: "The only way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend." This process was among the most difficult tasks I have ever had to undertake in life, but I learned quickly. Not only is this method amazingly effective, it also helps us see some of our own faults, and is one of the best ways to get others to like us (Schul 50).
My perception of "leadership" had previously been that of a vociferous person "barking" commands. I'm amazed and enthralled to discover that leadership is a process of negotiation - give and take. Most everyone can learn to negotiate - it's just a matter of building the necessary skills. The process of becoming a leader is not necessarily easy; indeed, any worthwhile accomplishment requires passion. The joy is that it IS indeed possible to "learn" to become a leader.
Cohen, William A. "The Art of the Leader." New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990.
Crosby, Philip B. "Running Things." New York: Mcgraw-Hill Book Company, 1986.
Heifetz, Ronald H. "Leadership Without Easy Answers." Cambridge: Belknap Press, 1994.
Schul, Bill D. "How to be an Effective Group Leader." Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1975.
Switchenko, Daniel. Presentation at UMass Dartmouth, November 2, 1995. 7:00 P.M.
The Hubris-Nemesis Complex: A Concept for Leadership Analysis
Carl's Top Ten writings on leadership
Programs of Study: Reserve Officers' Training Corps: ARMY
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