LEADERSHIP By F l o g g i n g !

A Leader is expected to lead, guide and direct a group. He is expected to be wiser than the team he leads, though he may not necessarily have greater expertise related to the task the team is expected to deliver.  Wisdom alone will not suffice though; he will need to influence the team towards following his directions. To influence, having a clout with the team he leads helps. He can then sway the team's decisions and directions in the way he thinks would lead to success for the team. Where persuasion fails, he may also use his authority and command that his instructions be followed. This looks like a rosy path, where the Leader always knows which way to head. But that's not how life is.

There are umpteen occasions when not just the team but the Leader too is clueless. Such situations also bring out the best from a True Leader. He strives to gain knowledge that will enable the team to succeed. He facilitates opportunities for the team to gain necessary knowledge and build required skills. And when the task fails for some reason - be it lack of knowledge, paucity of skills or poor execution - he considers himself to be part of the team that failed to deliver. He holds himself responsible together with his team, for the failure. This too, is great Leadership.

But today, a new breed of Leaders seem to have brought a new style of Leadership. Wisdom, Clout, Persuasion, Facilitation, Accountability, all seem to take a backseat here. Only authoritativeness counts. I call this 'Leadership by Flogging'. This style is built on the belief that if you flog hard enough, you can make even a dead horse fly. When the way forward is not clear, the Leader hopes that fear will work magic and ignite a spark in someone in the team.

The worst casualty is 'co-operation'. Instead of team members complementing each other for the collective good, they compete with each other for the spoils. When the team then wins, the Leader takes all the credit for leading from the front. He does share some of the spoils with the magician in the team, after taking a lion's share. And when the team fails, the Leader becomes the first to crucify the team, now becoming part of the Senior Management calling the team to give account.

The Bad News is that the latter style seems to be gaining currency, as it is seemingly reaping greater dividends for the ruler, Sorry! . . .  Leader. Gone is the common good or the greater good.

What is your Leadership Style?