Power games

Leadership, is perhaps the most defined and perhaps also the most agitated term in the annals of management. Tomes and tomes are written on the subject. Organisations small and big, across the world, spend small fortunes on demystifying the concept to their managers. A near mandatory exercise is to make the audience differentiate between the concepts of ‘Management’ and ‘Leadership’. Everyone is finally made clear as to what ‘Leadership’ entails – one critical requisite being the essentiality of managers to have followers. The true ‘walk on water’ test of a follower being to go through the proverbial ‘hell or high water’ in the footsteps of his leader.
However, most managers are poor leaders because the concept of followers is never really understood. Most managers imagine they become leaders the day they are designated managers. Followership is automatically assumed. But the bane of true leadership is ironically the designation of ‘manager’ and the way it is employed. A designation can therefore become a millstone round the neck of aspiring managers. Designations are misconstrued, misunderstood and misused and managers believe they transcend to the ‘Leadership League’ in the same way and in the same measure as they progress – whether logically or erratically - in their managerial careers. Nothing can be further from the truth. The romance of designations is the greatest barrier to the mindset changes that a Leadership position warrants.
Given that embellishments are a natural part of human nature, newly appointed managers tend to embellish their positions and persona with virtues and auras that are unwarranted. Overnight a managerial designation confers qualities such as superiority, invincibility and infallibility. Nothing can drive away discerning followers more than these three behaviourial additions , acquired virtually overnight.
It might be hove all managers to realise the sad truth – Designations are concocted in the minds of clever men; leadership is bestowed from the hearts of ordinary mortals.
We ought to celebrate our designations by finding ways to add value to the lives of others rather than use our designations to dominate and direct the lives of others. Therein lies the path to attract true ‘Followership’ and the natural route to have ‘Leadership’ conferred on us.