Lees of The Myth

Leadership: Less of the myth, more of the reality


Amongst the numerous theories, models, books and articles about leadership that every executive is currently being bombarded with, what does any aspiring leader really need to know? What are the real "golden nuggets" of good leadership that will truly make a difference to individuals, their teams and their organisations?

Ashridge Consulting sponsored an international three year research study that used an innovative "fly on the wall" research method. A research team lived alongside eight leaders - and the people around them - in a range of organisations across Europe, for periods of up to two years. Its findings explode many of the myths that surround modern management thinking about what makes leaders successful.

It was observed that leadership changes are like personal transitions - an upside down time of great uncertainty and anxiety. Just as changing relationships or switching jobs is stressful for an individual, so the change of leader triggers anxiety for both the leaders and people around him/her. The findings demonstrate that new leaders are most successful when they stop thinking they can shape the future as they would like and face life as it is. Instead of trying to live up to some idealised picture of what leaders are, they make best use of what's in front of them. They become ordinary heroes!

Exploding many modern management myths, the report demonstrates that:

• Everything does not depend on the first 100 days
• Charismatic leaders can be dangerous
• Team building happens more through straight conversations in the moment than through "awaydays"
• Changing the people who work with you can be a way of avoiding the real problems

Good leaders have to face paradoxes such as getting close enough to connect with people, but staying detached enough to make tough decisions. They need to reach conclusions and take action while holding an open mind about how the new business and organisation will differ from past experience. They also need to remain true to aspirations for the future while confronting the realities of the past and present.

The research also highlighted the fact that leaders must look to their own needs if they are to survive and be effective. They need help and support plus "time out" to reflect. They also need to push back against crazy expectations and absurd timescales. For example, they will not perform miracles within the famous "first 100 days" and unrealistic expectations should be renegotiated. Business environment, organisational culture, and group dynamics matter much more than individual qualities. The clever leaders find ways to work with what they inherit, not fight it.

Valued leadership does not come from extraordinary people but from ordinary folk who remember what they know, recover their wits amidst the pressure of transitions and deal with what is immediate and present. It consists of doing ordinary things like connecting with people, valuing them, protecting people from pressures from above and around. Ordinary people can do it