LEADERSHIP: CALL IT WHAT IT IS!
Silence is better than unmeaning words.
Pythagoras (c.570 BCE-c.490 BCE)
It seems to me that there is an ever-growing set of words used out of place. And they are not an expansion of the four-letter variety. They are perfectly upright and dignified words that get tossed about at the whim of laziness, habituation or an absence of critical thinking.
The trouble with their misuse, is that the appreciation of their real meanings can easily be lost — they become anything for anywhere, and thus nothing at all. Over time we imagine that the incorrect use is normal.
Unlike Humpty Dumpty, who thought that he could bend any word to suit his needs, I am of the view that language is more of a razor than a chain saw — more of a precision instrument than a jumble of letters.
So, when I read and hear how our three prime words — leadership, leader and leading — are coarsely used by all manner of person, from apparent experts to academics, serious journalists, social media adherents and general citizenry; I flinch, I despair.
No wonder these terms are massaged to fit Donald Trump, Markus Jooste, and Hansie Cronje, on the one hand, and Jacinda Ardern, Imtiaz Sooliman and Helen Suzman on the other.
Can it be, that all six of these people — the things they did and achieved, their lived lives and the way they responded to their leadership moments — could find homes under the same words?
No. Never. Impossible.
I have cut six headlines and web searches to fill the attached infographic. These items cover the South African context but apply universally.
The following themes appear, and they are all simply wrong:
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Let us deal with the six direct questions that arise, and their answers:
- Can a leader be elected? No.
- Can a leader be appointed? No.
- Is the captain of a team the leader? Not because he / she is the captain.
- Are business executives leaders by dint of their management roles? No.
- Are people leaders because of their positions? No.
- Can a team be ‘the leadership’? No.
All the answers are no.
- Leadership is a function of what we do, how we do it and the outcomes we achieve.
- Leadership is a practice.
- Individuals lead — you and I — not collectives.
- We are leaders when we practice leadership at a leadership moment.
Simple.
So, do not confuse these titles with leadership or leader — no matter how often you might see it done by others:
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These are designations, offices, positions, titles – no more. If they also happen to practice leadership, that is another matter, then call them a leader for that leadership moment, but that is all.
You are an influential leader if you practice influential leadership, whatever your position might be.
Make the second week of April 2023 a great leadership week!
Regards,
Colin Donian
Shaping lives for the better
Leadership Weekly Note: 1523. 100423
e: colind@karoo.world
Follow The Karoo Influential Leadership on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KarooInfluentialLeadership
