El Kahuna

Leadership is a hard topic.  I often say that when I am interviewing people that I am looking for “IT”.  I can’t describe “IT”, I can’t tell you how to get “IT”, but I know “IT” when I see “IT”.  Leadership is something like that.  I know a leader when I see one.  I don’t see many.

Dilbert Style Leadership

So what is leadership for me.  Good question.  In a word, Motivation.

At a simple level a leader is someone who identifies a set of goals / objectives and has the ability to motivate a group of people to achieve those goals.  A leader has the ability to demonstrate to people how accomplishing the group’s goals allows them to achieve their goals.  A leader finds ways around roadblocks, celebrates success, and shoulder’s blame.  I believe the “best” leaders do so by example.

I’ve never been fond of Machiavelli style fear as a motivator.  Perhaps that is because I have had the pleasure to work with talented craftsmen.  It is my experience that such people are often immune to carrot / stick style motivation.  They respond instead to that feeling that one gets when accomplishing things.  Instead of fear of losing their job or not getting a raise / bonus, they are motivated by accomplishments.  Set them challenging goals and allow them to achieve those goals and you have a highly motivated group of people.

Too often people equate power with leadership.  As I have progressed(?) in my career I have found that far too often those in power lack any real ability to lead.  They tend to be so busy managing perhaps they forget to lead.  Perhaps they never had the ability to begin with.  Perhaps it is inevitable that we promote those who have to ability to manage instead of those who can lead.  It is my experience that those who can lead are often unaware of their own abilities.  They often don’t want the responsibilities and constraints that come with management.

Instead of a management track and a technical track, perhaps companies need a leadership track to identify, promote, and reward leaders.  Don’t conscript them to the repression of management.  Allow them to set goals.  Allow them to build teams.  Allow them to succeed.  And then get out of the way.