What Leadership?

I was recently working with a group of management students and explored if they perceived themselves as leaders or followers. To my surprise, there was little excitement in their responses.

I asked, what comes to mind when you think of the word “Leader”. The responses were - being in charge of people, controlling people, using authority, and one student thought of politicians which he wasn’t’ very fond off! All but one response had a negative connotation attached to it. The response with the positive connotation was “INSPIRATIONAL”! Interesting enough, the student with that response seemed to have the most enthusiasm about leadership.

Why is that?

Through events and experiences we create a conceptual understanding around particular issues as well as our environment in general. And as this conceptual understanding is reinforced it becomes our reality, a reality that we may perceive as an absolute truth. And the way this reality manifests, the way we experience this truth is through our neurology. We are experiencing and defining this truth in our bodies in sensory terms. In the way we see, hear and feel the events and experiences in our heads and bodies. If we experience this perceived truth as physical discomfort or pain, than we may give the associated understanding of that truth a negative meaning. If we perceive this perceived truth as physical comfort or pleasure, than we may give the associated understanding of that truth a positive meaning. This is then reflected in our behaviour through our language, body language and the actions that we may take or not take.

How do we create these conceptual understandings in the first place? Great question!

As human beings and human doings we have the magic ability to put events into a context, a frame, a frame that gives us a point of reference. A place where we can capture our thoughts, process those thoughts, categories and label them. The meanings that we create around events and experiences are processed through a number of filters and a layer of frames. These filters and frames bring definition to the texture of our meaning. They influence what information and thoughts we are paying attention too, what we count and what we discount.

In most cases, people have learned the way to think, make meaning and act by default. They have followed a pathway that was laid out for them. Through their parents, peers, educators, society at large, etc.

A client, a senior manager, I worked with after discovering and experiencing that he had influence over the configuration of his thoughts, frames and meanings said “I didn’t know that I had control over how to think. I thought that was a given. I believed that the only influence I had was how to manage it!”

So what meanings have you constructed around the word “Leader or Leadership”? Are you a leader? A follower? A leading follower? A following leader?

What kind of leadership would you like to subscribe and run your ship by? What are you trying to achieve with the way you lead?

Why not play and texture your frames with the following descriptions and see what happens!

Inspirational Leadership
Collaborative Leadership
Innovative Leadership
Learning Leadership
Directional Leadership
Consultative Leadership
Visionary Leadership
Strategic Leadership
Inspirational, Innovative, Collaborative Leadership
Visionary, Learning, Strategic Leadership

(Note: the combination and numbers of words that you can texture your frame and focus with are limitless)

Pointing your thoughts to the above frames … what does it evoke in you? How is it different to your current frame?

Enjoy

Mike