This morning I was struggling to write today’s blog about leadership and our hunter-gatherer ancestors when I decided to give my brain cells a break. (Yes, I have a few, too few to mention). I typed llpathways into Google Search and found a post written by Scott Middleton asking the question: “How does one practice leadership?”
Scott in turn was responding to a comment from Paul Ritchie, ‘How to behave the way we want to?’ By the way, thank you Paul for your kind comments on my post ‘Human Anxiety – To Be Avoided or Welcomed?’ and also for your additional insights regarding Rollo May’s philosophy.
Meanwhile, if Scott is asking: ‘How does one achieve mastery of a skill?’ I am not at all sure that leadership is a skill. Just as say compassion, or humility, would not be considered as skills. If however, Scott is asking: ‘How does one exercise leadership?’ in terms of bringing into play – or realizing a goal (ensuring success via the exercise of leadership) then he is asking one of the most important, if not the most important, question regarding the study and understanding of leadership itself.
It is a question that might just help to sweep away much of the ambiguity, contradictions and confusion that surrounds the current academic, political and managerial approach to what is described as leadership.
You probably have noticed that over a number of years gurus, consultants and and experts of ‘leadership’ as with the numerous colleges, university departments and schools of leadership have all been discovering and promoting numerous styles, types and theories of leadership. This unnecessary complexity can be seen in the jumble of books on ‘leadership’ found on the shelves of newsagents at airports and train stations across the world.
This is all rather sad when you consider that leadership fully understood and exercised is the foundation on which to build the successful social, or organizational, enterprise.
The exercise, or if you prefer, the practice of leadership goes beyond simply leading people, or being a leader or manager. The real question is: ‘Is the leader or management exercising leadership?
LLPathways will certainly be exploring leadership and the exercise of leadership with regard to improving social and organizational development and improvements throughout its future posts.
In the meantime, if you want to find out more, why not visit Leadership and Learning Pathways’ website at:
http://www.leadershipandlearning-2e-org.350.com/home_page.htm
