Overview: This is an ongoing discussion about leadership, built on quotes that I have assembled through the years. My intent with this blog is to grow my understanding, and yours, of this thing we call leadership.
A quote that is particularly meaningful to me is from Leadership, a book authored by James MacGregor Burns in 1978, and reads as follows, “Power wielders may treat people as things, leaders may not.” Although only a few words in length, for me this quote strikes somewhat of a critical note. True leaders are much more than the power they wield. They must also be able to assemble a following, share a vision and synergize action. And as mentioned in previous posts, people will not follow a person if they cannot believe in and trust in that individual. And it is hard as heck to believe in and trust someone who berates you or diminishes you as a matter of course.
From school to time in the military to employment, I have worked with people in leadership roles who simply do not get the essence of this quote. They have power, but because they do not understand what leadership is all about they never learn how to utilize that power to the extent they might. They do not realize that having power is only part of the equation.
And this brings me to another quote, one by Barbara Kellerman. In a January 2004 Harvard Business Review article titled Leadership – Warts and All, she stated that “to be a leader is, by definition, to be benevolent.” Benevolence is not a word that would naturally surface for me as representative of the qualities of a leader, but the more I think about it the more sense it makes to me. Leaders have to understand and care about those who would follow them if they are indeed to attract and retain them as followers. And care cannot be a superficial thing … if it is not real it will be perceived as such soon enough. If you truly care about people you will touch them in the process … and this is when leaders have the unique opportunity to command a following.
And this brings up a critical question, where does the leader draw the line between authority and benevolence? To be sure this will vary from situation to situation, but when is too much benevolence a diminishing factor in leadership effectiveness? I don’t think there are answers to these related questions, but I sure would be interested in what others think.
Author Cross-references:
James MacGregor Burns: None
Barbara Kellerman: See also posts 2/3/09
Key Word Cross-references:
Benevolent/Caring/Compassionate/Empathetic: Also see posts 1/16/09, 2/18/09, 11/11/09, 12/5/09, 1/4/10
Trust: Also see posts 12/12/08, 12/5/09, 2/18/10, 5/26/10
Tags: Leadership
on Leadership ... by Steven Davis, CAE 
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