Being an inspirational or visionary leader doesnāt come easy and there is a debate about whether great leaders are born or made. The natureānurture debate is an interesting one and there are examples of great leaders spawning awful leaders (e.g. Edward I and Edward II) and great leaders being born from humble beginning (such as Joan of Arc). We donāt have a firm view on this issue. We can accept that there are genetic traits that may be passed down that will influence performance as a leader. We also believe that experience and learning are important in shaping good leadership.
Whatever your position is in the natureānurture debate you need to be aware that there are many myths about leadership that have grown up over the years that may affect your thinking on the subject. Here are six myths covering intelligence, power, action, personality, style and expertise that we now want to consider.
Myth # 1: You donāt have to be intelligent to be a great leader
No, you havenāt misread this. We are claiming that only intelligent people can be great leaders. We need to qualify what we mean here.
Intelligence has for many years been measured using intelligence quotient (IQ) tests. In more recent years, these tests have been criticised for failing to take account of the complex nature of the human intellect and the inference that there are links between intellectual ability and characteristics such as race, gender and social class. If your perception of intelligence is based on IQ tests, then we would suggest that there is no correlation between intelligence and the ability to lead.
Daniel Goleman (1996) suggested that intelligence is not just about developing a high IQ or being technically skilled, but that people also need to develop their emotional intelligence. He argued that there were five key elements of emotional intelligence, which we have interpreted for leaders. These are summarised as:
- Self-awareness: Leaders must be aware of the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and action. They must be able to recognise what thoughts about a situation sparked off which emotions and the impact these emotions can have on themselves and those around them.
- Managing emotions: Leaders must analyse what is behind these emotions and be able to deal with them in a positive manner.
- Empathy: Leaders must also be able to deal with the emotions of those around them in a positive manner. This requires them to be able to understand more about the nature of any concerns being expressed about their leadership.
- Social skills: Leaders need to develop quality relationships. This will have a positive effect on all involved. Knowing how and when to take the lead and when to follow is an essential social skill.
- Motivation: Leaders canāt always rely on external rewards to motivate others. They must support their staff to develop their own source of intrinsic motivators by encouraging them to appreciate what they can do and not to focus on the things they canāt do.
Goleman argued that having a high level of self-awareness, and an understanding of others, makes you a better person as well as a better leader. He also argued that rather than losing brain cells through the aging process, the brain continuously reshapes itself in line with the experiences we have. Goleman suggested that by persisting with positive thoughts and actions your newly reformed brain will ensure that you will have a positive outlook in how you work as a leader and will result in you naturally doing the right thing for your followers, in the right way. Of course Golemanās theories are speculation. But donāt they sound good and worth trying out.
If you agree, then here are some tips to help you:
- ā Develop your self-awareness by keeping a record of any key incidents that took place connected with your leadership. A simple note of what happened, why it happened, what you did and what impact it had on you and those around you will suffice.
- ā Try to look at the situation from your followersā perspectives. Although you may disagree with them, recognising that they are entitled to their views and beliefs will make you more understanding towards them and the problems they may be facing.
- ā Listen carefully to what others in your organisation (not just your staff but also the learners and their parents) have to say and never be afraid to re-examine your own values in light of what they have to say.
- ā Always try to find a wināwin solution to any situation arising with you and your followers.
Although he has a popular following, critics of Goleman claim that he can only speculate that his theories on intelligence are any more valid than the reliance on IQ testing.
Case Study
Lesley had not long been appointed as the curriculum leader for mathematics in her primary school when she set about trying to raise pupil achievement by implementing a published scheme of work that had proven effective in a number of other school settings.
She was disappointed when a year on from implementing the scheme there had only been a limited overall improvement in pupil achievement. Part of the evaluation she subsequently carried out focused upon the role that leadership and management had played in the relative lack of success of the initiative.
It became apparent that her analysis of the issue had been too superficial and had therefore failed to identify key factors contributing to low pupil achievement within the school. Consequently she concluded that the adopted solution (the published scheme), however effective in other settings that she had considered, may not have been the most appropriate for her school.
Despite exhaustive monitoring during the year, Lesley felt that there had been insufficient feedback to staff and a failure to communicate effectively with those members of staff who were charged with delivering the new initiative. Although they had been thoroughly familiarised with the scheme, and had received appropriate training and support materials, little account had been taken of such factors as the differing aptitudes and attitudes of the staff.
When Lesley examined her motives for implementing the change she concluded that at least in part they reflected a desire on her part to make an impact and prove her worth to others, in particular senior leaders. In adopting standard, rigid and inflexible targets Lesley had left little room for maneuver, which proved to have a demotivating effect on some staff and inhibited her capacity to empathise with others.
Lesley concluded that her leadership and management of the project was a prime cause of its relative lack of success. This helped to frame a strategy for the second year of the project and proved to be an important lesson for her professional development towards becoming a successful senior leader.
Myth # 2: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely
Of course, history is riddled with people who have abused the power they have been given or taken. Before we accept or reject this myth, we need to understand what we mean by power. There are numerous models of power. One of the most compelling was outlined by John French and Bertram Raven (1959). They identified five sources of power that a leader can call upon to encourage or compel compliance. These are:
- Positional power: As a leader you hold a position of authority in the organisation. Identify the limits of that authority but act with confidence when you do exercise authority and expect staff to comply with your legitimate requests. Expect compliance and enforce it.
- Reward power: As a leader you control key resources within your organisation. Identify the range of rewards you can give staff and remember they need not be financial. Public recognition or a private appreciation of a job well done may mean more to a person than promotion or a pay rise. Always deliver on any promises that you make to reward someone.
- Coercive power: Some leaders will have reached the position they hold through force (physical or psychological). Identify the limits of your coercive power. Never use coercive power to bully people, but it is perfectly legitimate to deal forcibly with poor performance and apply a suitable sanction. Always carry through with any threats that you make to punish someone.
- Expert power: Most leaders gain recognition as a leader because of their experience and expertise in the job. Identify what, if any, expert power you have. If you have a professional qualification you will per force have a degree of expert power. Continuously update specialist knowledge in one or more areas of your discipline and use it in your organisation.
- Charismatic power: Some leaders gain recognition as a leader because of their charismatic hold over their followers. Remember that charisma is in the eye of the beholder. So think about how you appear to your staff. Act with confidence and integrity and they will think you have charisma.
French and Raven argue that leaders should work to accumulate as many sources of power as possible. Typically some degree of positional, reward and coercive power comes with the leadership role. Leaders need to test the limits of each and build up their expert power. As for charismatic power, thatās something we all need to work on.
Itās not the nature of power that corrupts therefore, even if this power is absolute and unchallenged, but the people who wield it. Both Hitler and Martin Luther King had a powerful hold over their followers, one used it for violent purposes the other to promote peaceful demonstrations.
Here are two cases of college principals that one of us has worked with who demonstrate the differences in exercising power.
Case Study
Mary was a surprise choice to be the principal of a new community-based college formed out of the merger of two adult education centres that delivered vocational training throughout a network of community centres in the borough. She had ousted the incumbent principals of the two centres, who became her vice-principals. Many were impressed by Maryās talk of her vision for the new college and the values of openness and trust that she wanted to underpin the vision. She won everyone over with her charisma. In the space of three years, she took the college from an adequate institution to an outstanding one. But there was a price to pay for this. In a document that she marked āConfidential ā for management onlyā she wrote about her desire to take education provision away from community centres and into libraries. This would mean sign...
