A few weeks ago, I decided to go on a safari with my two youngest children and a few friends from work. On our way from Ouagadougou to Nazinga Wildlife Preserve, which kisses the Ghanian border, we passed village after village of a simpler people. These villages and their inhabitants know nothing of our complicated world. School, television, the internet, and even running water in the home are alien concepts, as many walk up to eight hours a day just in search of water. Days are filled with sustenance farming and caring for community. Despite this poor lot in life according to our western terms, there is a definite glow about them. There are always smiles on their faces, and always time for dancing, singing, and listening to the stories of their elders. They thrive in a part of the world where most of us would meet our fate, yet they continue on their life journey the best way they know how. After a few friendly waves, we continued on our weekend journey through the threshold of the preserve.
As the sun grew heavy in the west, a herd of Earth’s largest land mammals crossed our path on the Burkinabe savannah. One in particular however, forever changed the way I view elephants, and life for that matter. One member of our team got out to take a photo of mama & newborn baby; this turned out to be a big mistake. After a few quick seconds, papa came over to express his discontent. He proceeded to charge at us and stopped about 20 feet short of the truck. This normally wouldn’t have phased our team, but the fact that he was about three times the size of our vehicle was a bit concerning. As the ivory neared the bedside, the driver found first gear. Before we could hit 30 mph however, he was still gaining ground on us. Trees were falling in the brush, and the scariest shrieks we’d ever heard filled the air. The monster gave up after about 700 yards but left a lasting impression on us all.
As I took in all of the sights and sounds of the trip, I found myself pondering life in general. Maybe it was just the close encounter with death, but I asked myself: Why are things the way they are? Why are my friends, children, and I so lucky to have been born American children? Are we lucky, or is the simpler life the better choice? I pondered the removal of all of the niceties of the western world and where we would be left if all of a sudden they were gone. At this point in the trip, our fate with the elephants could have been sealed with a simple mechanical failure! Fossil fuels, nuclear power, or any one of a laundry list of items are taken for granted on a daily basis. Amongst my moments of pondering, I questioned the natural order of things, and recently, I’ve related these “ponderings” to leadership within humankind.
We’ve been on Earth in our present form for about 100,000 years (PBS, 2014). Prior to this, we developed from hominoids that evolved for about 7.9 million years just to provide us with our basic characteristics. As time passed and our original tribes spread in search of new opportunities, we developed diverse cultures and quickly inhabited every hospitable corner of the Earth. Great disparities arose between these distinct cultures. Some developed written language, some created great archeological wonders, while others developed their storytelling skills. Groups developed physical characteristics to adapt to their environment and created the great diversity we enjoy today. Until the recent globalization effort however, these distinct cultures were unbeknownst to one another. We are now attempting to reunite the tribe, but if there is anything that links us, it is our common 7.9 million years.
The desired characteristics of our ancestors determined their current idea of leadership or maxims. Those that were the best looking, the fastest, the most successful hunters, the best gatherers, the most skilled builders, etc. ensured their place within the group, and in the gene pool for that matter. Until recently, this was simply common knowledge. It had been engrained within the core processes of our species since antiquity. Once an association was made, maxims then became part of the next round of the decision making process. Maxims are passed down generationally, and in turn, contribute to our collective thought. Although this seems to be a natural human tendency, there are inherent problems that arise. Unscientific processes that affect decision making and leader choice present problems because they are not based totally in fact. As we progressed, common knowledge in the form of maxim was replaced by the desperately needed scientific process.
Trait leadership is based on the maxim that: those with specific characteristics are more well suited for leadership roles, in comparison to the followers without these traits. Being the first systematic attempt to study leadership, trait leadership was of great interest to the pioneer psychologists of the 20th century; it continues to remain “alive and well” in the study of psychology (Northouse, 2013, page 20).
The theory that was developed as a result of these pioneers is based in fact and offers tested ideas via scientific processes. A theory uses evidence from multiple research projects to refine its explanation through the continuous gathering of that information (PSU, 2015). It is the end product of all scientific research and is nestled so close to fact that the difference is nearly indistinguishable. The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it (Tyson, 2014). It encourages skepticism and questioning; in fact, scientists attempt to find flaws in the work of their colleagues on a daily basis. Scientific findings are questioned, refined, and subjected to the next round of skeptical scientists. In contrast to the maxim approach however, these scholars are performing their analysis based on valid, generalizable data. This is a blast to the face of common knowledge and popular belief and continues to shape our ideas of leadership today.
Although our maxims guide us, Trait Theory filters our bias and gives us the pure truth. No matter which approach we take to the concept of leadership, we can argue that it is a human trait which emphasized that leadership. Those that develop into leaders after a lifetime of study possess determination; determination is a trait. Those leaders that possess skills to perform a task are a product of a bloodline of skillful predecessors; skillfulness is a trait. Those that develop into great leaders because of their ability to understand the needs of others, because of their open-mindedness, sociability, or ability to think strategically are doing so because of traits. We are a product of evolution and are provided a certain set of traits at birth–traits to either waste, or to develop.
The villages that I passed the other day consisted of groups of people like you and I. Their goal in life is to be successful in the eyes of their family, friends, and overall culture. They look up to the most successful members of their group on these terms, and develop maxims which create their next round of leaders. They seemed so different from me, but their similarities are stronger. I hope that you never have to experience an angry elephant to initiate a “pondering moment” but as you experience life, remember where you came from, understand the present, and most importantly, lead the next generation in the right direction. We’re all we’ve got.
References:
Northouse, Peter G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc. 3-9. Print.
Public Broadcasting Service. (2014). Evolution: Humans. Retrieved 25 January 2015 from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/humankind/index.html
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015, January). PSYCH 485 Module 2: Trait Approach.
deGrasse Tyson, Neil, (2014). Startalk Radio. Retrieved online at: http://www.startalkradio.net/