Tuesday, December 6, 2011

"You Can't Fake Leadership"


Sally Jenkins wrote a fascinating article on Leaderhsip (Followership) (click on the highlighted text to read the article).  I encourage you to read the entire article.  Below are some key points I took away from her observations:
  1. Leadership isn't about domination, it's about persuasion.
  2. Leadership only works when people find you credible and grant you their cooperation.
  3. Leadership is more than charisma and talent.
  4. The study of Leadership should be on the followers, not the leader.  Therefore, the study is on "Followership".
  5. Followership--Followers want four things:  (a) Integrity  (b) Confidence  (c) Decision-Making  (d) Clarity
  6. What Followers Do Not Want:  (a) Irritability  (b) Moodiness  (c) Untrustworthiness  (d) Indecisiveness  (e) Needless Micromanagement  (f) Excessive Authority--Followers see these things as incompetent.
  7. Leadership study of the number of flight errors of a crew correlated to the personality of the captain.
  8. Crews led by captains perceived as agreeable, self-confident and emotionally reliable made the fewest errors.
  9. Crews with captains considered arrogant, hostile, passive-aggressive or dictatorial made the most errors.
  10. Leaders lose their teams when the followers withdraw their consent to be led.
  11. Red Auerbach--"You don't motivate teams, you motivate players, one by one, by building relationships."
  12. A leader is worth nothing without voluntary commitment, because the followers are actually more in charge of the outcome.
  13. Ever aspiring leader should ask, "Would people choose to follow me?"

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