Delusional Leadership

Get real

Leaders serve.

You’re not special, better than, or more important. Thinking you are deludes you.

Leadership Freak BLOG Sourced from:  http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/popping-the-self-delusion-bubble/

Recently, I met Dan Price at a Pikes Peak ASTD meeting.  He produces a monthly newsletter speaking on training, project management, and leadership.  Yesterday, I received his latest newsletter.  The newsletter caught my attention from his headline:  Leadership:  Leaders and self-delusion.  I could relate to this from both sides.  I have been a leader and a subordinate and, heaven knows, I was obtuse from time to time as a leader.  I have high expectations of myself; so, it is very easy to just expect that of others.  

After reading Dan's article, I linked into the article that inspired his.  Dan Rockwell is known as the Leadership Freak.  There I found the full text.  I love that he writes his topics in 300 words or less. 

Anyhow, the article gave some great food for thought which I can see in myself and other leaders I know.   My biggest takeaways were:

• Leaders often see their position as being from On-high and others must bend to their will.
• Intention is not equal to actions.

Many leaders I have observed in my experience seem to feel they worked hard to achieve their position and deserve the respect and benefits of their position.  This is much like the argument that Med students need to work 40 hour waking shifts, because that is the way it has always been.  Isn't that the definition of insanity?  Just because one achieves a certain status doesn't mean we have nothing more to learn.  

So many leaders spend most of their time separate from those they lead.  As an employee, I know silent and aloof leadership creates a culture of suspicion and fear.  When leaders use "WE" instead of "I" they imply that they are part of the process as opposed to on top of it.  Often they don't know any better.  So, I take it upon myself, from time to time, to mention that the "emperor has no clothes."   

No one likes to be called out on their mistakes, but we cannot fix what we don't know is wrong.  It is a truly great leader who is constantly checking themselves with the reality of those who observe

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