Leadership is Not Linear

By | January 29, 2014

[January 29, 2014]  Leadership is neither linear, nor is it one-dimensional.  It is not linear because critical skills of leaders are not gained at a consistent or predictable pace; if at all.  And, leadership is not one-dimensional because it is complex, multifaceted, requires focused effort to learn, and those skills can be lost. 

We have all read books and articles on leadership and perhaps have attended a few seminars that teach leadership as a subject just like history or anthropology – studying the component parts and key aspects of leadership found in the best and well-known leaders.  While these are very helpful and often useful to build a foundation of knowledge, they often give little attention to the true complexity of the subject. 

Leadership is considered a skill that is gained through life-long learning, but it would more accurately be described as a lifestyle.  A leader does not change their behaviors at work, in social settings, or at home – not the true leader anyway. 

Those attributes that make a successful leader are an inseparable part of the leader’s personality.  As the leader matures, so do those leader skills change to reflect those leaders’ work and social environment. 

“Entrepreneurs have a great ability to create change, be flexible, build companies and cultivate the kind of work environment in which they want to work.” – Tory Burch

Leadership is complex because people are complex and ever changing.

 

 

Author: Douglas R. Satterfield

Hello. I provide one article every day. My writings are influenced by great thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Jung, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Jean Piaget, Erich Neumann, and Jordan Peterson, whose insight and brilliance have gotten millions worldwide to think about improving ourselves. Thank you for reading my blog.

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