Leadership is a subject which has been always close to my heart. Perhaps it stems from the facts that somehow since childhood life had always put me in situations where all i’d to look up at and take advice was myself and then somehow there were always friends, teammates, reportees, colleagues, coachees and associates who were expecting me to guide them. I learnt and gained from my experience and mistakes and then a lot from reading right books and attending workshops with Corporate Gurus. In my journey so far i discovered that Ladder of Leadership is always at a transition phase.
Some people at the leadership position keep learning and are dynamic while few become permanent residents of these stages. Perhaps this stagnation comes because quite a few of them are clueless about the traps in this jungle and the corrective measures required. With due respect this little article is for all of us who happen to be in the roles of Leadership, for not only it is with the perspective of weeding out in our garden of Eden located 6 inches between our ears this is also help in nurturing and creating leaders below and help to bring fluidity among those who have got stuck in a rut.
Stage 1: The Unconscious Leader – A leader who is unaware of his true potential but displays all the characteristics of an influencer, role model and visionary.
Leadership Trap: Tends to remain in the background, may not utilize his full potential, may not purse goals / dreams with the required passion. Tends to be a tad bit unsure of himself and us very often overly self critical.
Corrective Measure: Needs to be shown the difference that he has made as a leader to people, teams and organization as a whole. Should be encouraged to take the fore front more often and lead larger teams openly.
Stage 2: Unconsciously Independent Leader – these leaders have risen to the position of power through years of dedication and hard work. They have made serious efforts to build a brand for themselves. They are in the news and headlines, are often quoted by the media and are in the constant limelight. These people often call themselves self made leaders who have worked hard to realize their dreams through persistence and hard work.
Leadership Trap: Personal Power serves as a trap door in this case. They do not realize that it was a large group / team of people, working behind the scenes who helped them reach the position there are in today in addition to their own efforts. Most leaders in this stage develop inflated egos due to the position they are in and the unprecedented amount of power they wield. Leaders in this position tend to become stubborn and are not very open to change. They prefer to do things in there own manner and do not like others telling them what and how to do things. It is seen that they often enjoy having the last word.
Corrective Measure: If remedial steps are not taken quickly at this stage, leadership is most likely to break down. Motivation of team members begins to dip, dissidence becomes common within the team and the team culture radically changes from an open and transparent one into a closed and authoritative one. The work environment is strained, misunderstandings and communication gaps become frequent and conflicts are on the rise.
The Leader needs to be made aware of his ‘Blind Spot,’ furthermore, he has to be sensitized on the importance of letting go and learning to take a step back. Personal credibility of the leader is maintained only when he learns to balance ambition consciously without trampling on the ambitions of his immediate team members. A classical example of Leadership failure at this stage is often seen in the Political Arena, wherein personal gains take precedence over societal welfare.
Stage 3: Consciously Independent Leader - This is a leader who has been in leadership position for an extensive period of time. Over time he has learnt to make quick, independent decision, is well aware of the consequences of his actions and is not just willing to take risks but becomes a ‘change champion’ within the organization. At this point in his career the leader is not very concerned about personal power and recognition – he has moved beyond that; now as a leader he aims at empowering his/her team and he defines success as a measure of his teams performance.
Leadership Trap: The leader at this stage begins to question his purpose in life and tries to find inner meaning in all his actions. Tragically, what he sees around him plunges him into depression and often feelings of being a failure take prominence as he feels that he has not made a significant impact on society in improving the quality of life. He wants to give back to society at large, but encounters bottlenecks in the form of corruption, dishonesty, complacency and indifference at every stage, which de-motivates him even further, questioning his efforts of making a difference. Self doubt is one of the biggest traps for a leader at this stage.
Due to inner changes and challenges the leader typically encounters a lot for problems with his family at this stage, as there is a paradigm shift in perception and wave length which many a time the family is unable to deal with. The leader prefers to spend time alone, finds socializing unnecessary and a waste of time. Typically the leader would want to spend every minute dedicated towards making a difference. It is at this stage that most leaders become very preachy which only has an adverse affect on everything around them, adding to their bucket of woes.
Preventive Measures: The only thing that will help the leader from falling into a trap at this stage is working without expectation, cultivating a non judgmental attitude, and deep insight into one’s current state of being. The leader has to learn to respect the fact that people around him might not be at the same level of develop as him. This is an exceptionally difficult phase in a leaders development and very few leaders make it through and move to the next level.
Stage 4: Consciously Dependent Leader - This is the highest level of development, which involves consciously crushing the ego and emptying one’s self completely. It is a time to unlearn everything assimilated over the years and walk the path of a ‘Leader without a face.’
It is a state of consciously becoming dependent on others, knowing very well that he is most likely to contribute much more if he worked on his own; but the time of individual gain and personal power are long gone. The leader realizes that he alone is nothing and must come down to the level of the common man to help others realize their true potential, for in it lies his true purpose. It is state of constant giving, without expectation, constantly working behind the scenes – a state of utmost humility.
‘Detached Attachment’ is the calling of this leader, being a part of everything, yet not being attached to any of it. This is what is called‘Spiritual Leadership’ and sustained growth of an organization depends on it. There are just a handful of these leaders and it is almost impossible to meet them for they take great pains to fade into the background.
There are no traps for a leader in this stage, the traps lie for the rest of us who are fighting hard to strike a balance between ambition and conscience.
It is important to note that, leaders might not follow the stage wise sequential approach. There are a few leaders who jump levels and come to the final stage at a very young age, and then there are those who are constantly swinging back and forth between levels. I would appreciate your reviews on this
