I had trouble finding a title for this blog. I have been looking at recent articles on leadership. I was forced to ask myself what I knew about the subject.
I've taught management many times and never included the concept of leadership in my teaching.
Let me explain the problem. I have been a leader all my life and nothing about the concept that I see being taught seems to have any relevance to me.
Let's begin with my statement that I expect virtually no one to take calmly. “I have been a leader all my life”.
When I first went to university, I visited many clubs: the Young Communists, the Students for Democratic Action, classic films, etc. At the next meeting of every club I visited, after my one appearance, I was elected president. I’m not kidding I’m not exaggerating. Once I stood up at an organizational meeting of 100 people about some student complaints and I was immediately made the leader.
In the most outrageous case, outrageous meaning I don't expect even one out of 100 readers to believe it. In order to get into the University of California graduate school of economics I needed a BA in economics. So I went to the nearby San Francisco State College. I had been on the campus for two weeks and knew no one. The Student Council asked me to be student body president. I actually agreed to it for the one year I was there.
This never stopped happening to me until I decided to become too outrageous in my dress (all white clothes) to be considered. Finally after age 65 I became too old for people to make me their leader.
So when I hear the word ‘leader’ I assume that it has to do with some internal quality that is externally visible. I can recognize it in other people. I can't imagine how it can be developed.
The problem for me is that in all cases where leadership is described the texts or lectures talk about how leaders have ‘visions’ that guide their direction.
I never had visions. I never tried to get my followers or employees or fellow members to pursue my ‘vision’.
I simply did then as I do now, go about my life doing what I want to do. I do what's interesting to me and what I’m most effective in doing.
When I look back, all the things I did, that would appear to be ‘visionary leadership’ in my organizations, groups and departments were novel, important and interesting directions for ME. I never had visions and I never tried to get anybody to follow me.
In retrospect, I simply did what I wanted to do and because of my leadership qualities other people followed me. I always listened to everybody I was involved with. I always had meetings to discuss what was going on. But I always did what was most appealing interesting and magnetic to me. That's where I led.
If you are a leader and you are bewildered by all this talk about visions and leading people with images and goals, you might identify with me who never could make sense of any of that stuff.
The title of this blog should be ‘leadership is doing what you want and what you are most capable of achieving. It's personal’.