Should practitioners of Management emulate Dhoni? I personally prefer other models, but respect the choices of others in this matter.
Perhaps there are multiple ways of leading people. I sense that the spread of education and financial security spawns new leadership styles. You cannot inspire the rich and famous in the same way as their less fortunate fellows. This applies to intellectual resources as much as to material ones. I suspect that most people want to emerge as leaders. Those who lack confidence and opportunities may exhibit servile qualities, but harbor ambitions of power and influence at the same time.
A mentor is a great help in getting opportunities to lead. The reverse is not always true however, because deserving people can move on from circumstances in which they feel oppressed.
I suggest that integrity is at the core of leadership. People flock to those they trust. However, no leader can take followers for granted. That is why the fall of leaders is so inexorable over time. Even Mahatma Gandhi has trenchant critics. A friend recently counseled me to listen to my inner voice when I confronted him with an issue related to spiritual leadership. I have concluded that this could be an optimal approach, and the one adopted by relatively successful leaders as well. Be consistent and transparent in thought. Those who wish to follow you will do so automatically if gradually.
Such an approach cannot work in an organizational setting, which brings the nature of leadership on the table. There are inherent differences between obedience and sharing values. No mortal can force others to discard their thinking and analytical faculties. It is safe to keep these aspects in mind when ordering others around or wallowing in the apparent adulation of those who wish to curry favor.
Communication skills are efficient substitutes for leadership. We can use the principles and methods of the Personality Grid and of Transactional Analysis to influence actions and even perceptions of others. These may lead to positions of leadership if transactions focus on a homogeneous group of people. I suspect that modern and self-promoted Gurus use such approaches, even if largely by instinct.
MBO (Management by Objectives) is another alternative to leadership. Let colleagues agree on roles, tasks, deadlines and resources. Why bother with leadership? This is my view. I would like to know yours.
I can help with using the Personality Grid, Transactional Analysis and MBO.
Who is the leader of the pack of children in the photograph below?
I suggest that integrity is at the core of leadership. People flock to those they trust. However, no leader can take followers for granted. That is why the fall of leaders is so inexorable over time. Even Mahatma Gandhi has trenchant critics. A friend recently counseled me to listen to my inner voice when I confronted him with an issue related to spiritual leadership. I have concluded that this could be an optimal approach, and the one adopted by relatively successful leaders as well. Be consistent and transparent in thought. Those who wish to follow you will do so automatically if gradually.
Such an approach cannot work in an organizational setting, which brings the nature of leadership on the table. There are inherent differences between obedience and sharing values. No mortal can force others to discard their thinking and analytical faculties. It is safe to keep these aspects in mind when ordering others around or wallowing in the apparent adulation of those who wish to curry favor.
Communication skills are efficient substitutes for leadership. We can use the principles and methods of the Personality Grid and of Transactional Analysis to influence actions and even perceptions of others. These may lead to positions of leadership if transactions focus on a homogeneous group of people. I suspect that modern and self-promoted Gurus use such approaches, even if largely by instinct.
MBO (Management by Objectives) is another alternative to leadership. Let colleagues agree on roles, tasks, deadlines and resources. Why bother with leadership? This is my view. I would like to know yours.
I can help with using the Personality Grid, Transactional Analysis and MBO.
Who is the leader of the pack of children in the photograph below?
I told these five boys about the five benefits of silica for crops and trees. The fellow next to me (second from left) rattled off all five benefits after me and won Rs 50 ($1). It was not a matter of memory alone for he seemed to wield some influence over the others, especially the guy on his left who seemed to know the answers just as well. He was also instrumental in keeping the girls at bay! This probably won him the support of the male chauvinist village elders. Leadership can be situational. Perhaps each of the boys in the picture as well as all the excluded girls could be popular leaders in the right circumstances.
The picture is from Malihabad in India (Uttar Pradesh-close to Lucknow).
Can you think of ways in which introverts and followers can transform in to positions of authority and influence?
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