Research reveals
that, in fact, leaders neither have as much control over things as
many people believe, nor should they. Yet people who occupy leadership
positions need to figure out how to exercise their responsibilities.
And although leaders aren't omnipotent, what they do does matter.
Given the evidence on leader effects and effective leader behavior,
there are some sensible suggestions that can guide behavior, or more
accurately, show how to design and think about behavior.
The fundamental
guidelines we propose emerge from four paradoxes that leaders face:
1. Everyone expects
leaders to matter a lot, even as they have limited actual impact.
Leaders need to act as if they are in control, project confidence, and
talk about the future, even while recognizing and acknowledging the
organizational realities and their own limitations.
2. Because leaders
succumb to the same self-enhancement tendencies as everyone else,
magnified by the adulation they receive, they have a tendency to lose
their behavioral inhibitions and behave in destructive ways. They need
to avoid this trap and maintain an attitude of wisdom and a healthy
dose of modesty.
3. Because the
desirability of exercising total control is itself a half-truth,
effective leaders must learn when and how to get out of the way and
let others make contributions. So sometimes the best leadership is no
leadership at all.
4. Leaders often
have the most positive impact when they help build systems where the
actions of a few powerful and magnificently skilled people matter
least. Perhaps the best way to view leadership is as the task of
architecting organizational systems, teams, and cultures—as
establishing the conditions and preconditions for others to succeed.
By recognizing both
parts of the half-truth and negotiating the middle ground
appropriately, leaders, managers, and everyone else involved in the
organization, can construct the most effective cause of action.
with thanks to “Hard facts dangerous half-truths & total nonsense by
J Pfeffer & R I Sutton
