Leadership’s Strange Attractor

By

Dr. Alfred M. Coke

I’ve watched leadership from a close perspective and a range of situations. This includes the jungles of Viet Nam to the board rooms of corporations. Something stands out clearly. We are chasing the wrong leadership model.

A fresh approach to leadership is needed to help break the cycle of improving existing, incorrect models. There is no shortage of leadership articles perpetuating theory that is off base – filled with misconceptions, misrepresentations, and misperceptions. They are simply variations of the same theme. Let’s break the model and start over.

The first problem is definition, which is plagued with highly charged emotional rhetoric. For simplicity, consider leadership as “the ability to create willing followership toward mutually agreed upon goals.”

The second problem is that leadership is not the moral high ground but rather neutral or amoral. Leadership is not knights in shining armor slaying fire breathing dragons. It is not the forces of good conquering hordes of evil invaders. It is telling a story that is believable enough that someone buys into the journey. That trip can either end in something ugly or pretty. History is filled with examples of very bad characters who did very bad deeds. They didn’t act alone!

Third, leadership is not what you do but rather who you are that attracts followers. For decades we have chased action oriented leadership. We then extracted the concept of “what” leaders do to create success. With decades of field trials no one has ever found the perfect action list. Covey has his seven habits, Hersey and Blanchard their four things, Colin Powell his 18 lessons, and so on. What will be on next year’s list?

None of these behavioral models resolve the question – “How does a leader attract followers?” While the pursuit of traits, characteristics, and behaviors is admirable, it falls short in application. There is an alternative.

Effective leadership stems for a person’s ability to passionately communicate a message. The foundation of that message stems from the character of the leader. It reflects a person who has reached fundamental truths about life.  Specifically effective leaders have defined a life philosophy, know their missions, and have sorted and tested core values. These three elements become the personal foundation for developing a plausible story. The story in turn becomes the strange attractor of gaining followership.

Followers are searching; looking to leadership for a story that works for them. Specifically the strange attractors in the leader’s delivery of the story fulfill the search. They are:

                1. Authentic – Does the leader passionately believe in what he or she is saying?

2. Congruent – Does it fit together in a harmonious way?

                3. Believable – Is it a challenge or a fantasy?

Finally, does the leader have a track record of real time success with similar stories?

In Summary

Leadership is not a fluctuating list of activities. It is about strength of character. You are the center of the leadership equation and your story holds the strange attractors. Build a good one!