Leadership is not for everybody. Great leaders know that. That is why they don’t take it for granted.
Leading other people is not about control. It is not about being the boss. It is not about who has more power.
Leading other people is about vision. It is about care. It is about being a good person, a good follower, and a good farmer.
According to George Binney, Philip Glanfield and Gerhard Wilke, ‘The authority to lead is not something given from above; it is negotiated, day by day, between people as they work together.’
‘Organizational politics and leading is not just about being a good boss; it’s also about being a good subordinate, and a good citizen of a living community.’
‘Constant negotiation and adaptation is needed, as people and circumstances change. The key is to ‘get real’ about yourself and the group.’
‘Knowing what works well in different parts of the organization (or other organization) can provide useful data, but we still have to do the work to make it our own.’
‘Leadership groups that cannot hold their differences end up in ‘group think’ because they have developed a shared and fixed view of the world.’
‘Paying attention to feelings is not a luxury or a diversion. The feelings are there for a reason. If we can face them and consider them, then we can be of service to the group.’
‘Leaders need to pay attention to the social fabric of the group and ensure that it legitimizes their authority and develop a sense of secure attachment to them. People work for people, not abstract documents or perfectionist, fanciful targets.’
‘If leaders see themselves as separate from the people they are leading they are not only kidding themselves, they are seeing themselves and others only as a means.’
‘Without the courage or the commitment to act, you are part of the problem.’
‘Leaders need to stick with the vision and strategy when the going gets tough- as it inevitably will.’
Source:
George Binney, Philip Glanfield & Gerhard Wilke (2017). Breaking Free of Bonkers: How to Lead in Today’s Crazy World of Organizations
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