Alone we can so little, together we can do so much-Helen Keller
When writing down a list of essential leadership qualities, it is almost always a list that portrays success. While the typical leader has many valuable traits and skills, there is almost always one specific skill missing from the list: the skill of asking for help. Leaders who do not need help their followers are portrayed as having a huge ego or being narcissistic. Providing the help that a leader asks for is powerful in itself. As a leader, if you want your followers to succeed, they need to feel powerful as well. Follower’s emotions and motivations all depend on the leader. They encourage growth and development in their followers. They motivate their followers through personal and intangible factors. Thus, leaders change the situations they are in. Followers work together to shape something new (Northouse, 2016).
Contrary to popular belief, leaders do not always have to act alone. Leadership needs to occur in a group setting. Other people must be involved for leadership to occur. So why do some people in senior management roles isolate themselves and feel lonely at the top? Maybe it’s a misunderstanding. All those reports, all those pressures to make really big decisions with huge impact, and all those expectations of people who are counting on them. Maybe these are the distractions that prevent them from doing the work of leaders.
Leadership does not seem to be considered as trait or a characteristic. It is considered a process. Process means that a leader affects his or her followers. It emphasizes that leadership is not a linear, one-way event, but rather an interactive event (Northouse, 2016). Being an interactive event, leadership occurs in groups. This can be a small task group, a community group, or a large group encompassing an entire organization. Leadership is about one individual influencing a group of others to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2016).
When it comes to leadership, the more you work behind closed doors, the harder it is to do the work. Leaders who are not engaged lose their credibility and support. When followers are not engaged by the leader, they struggle to get things done and end up only doing the bare minimum. True leaders know that the background factors such as paperwork, the pressures of the job, and specific plans are secondary to followers. Leaders put the people first. This way, the work gets done faster and obtain better outcomes. If you are a leader stuck behind a closed door, it’s time to look closely at what your role truly is. leadership is not something you do alone.
References: Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
jxb793 says
Freud stated that we all have some narcissism in us all, which would explain why you may see yourself just listing off successes (Maccoby, 2014). Plus, it is something that we are taught to do, especially during job interviews when asked questions, which may be why some are uncomfortable when they are asked what their downfalls or negative traits are. Part of the reason why narcissistic persons are not usually out to ask for help is because they are over-confident and think that they are better than others and that their ideas too are better (Northouse, 2016). While most would think of narcissism as a negative trait, you stated that they motivate others. Which is true and part of the cons for this personality trait for companies who strive for success and may fall short of it because they are able to motivate their team members to meet goals.
I like that you stated that leadership is a process, because it really is. Nothing is a straight forward path, and it takes leaders to motivate their followers to accomplish a task through their highs and lows (Northouse, 2016). While you stated that “leaders who are not engaged lose their credibility and support”, I could also see where they may take credit for other people’s work or the teams work in a whole for personal gain.
Maccoby, M. (2014, August 01). Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, the Inevitable Cons. Retrieved September 10, 2018, from https://hbr.org/2004/01/narcissistic-leaders-the-incredible-pros-the-inevitable-cons
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Los Angeles, Calif.: SAGE.