If Leadership Is Selfless, Why Make it Exclusive?
The democratization of leadership.
The democratization of leadership.
“It’s difficult not to be frustrated by the excessive focus on leadership, but it’s become so popular that we apparently can’t teach enough of it.”
— John Van Maanen, M.I.T.
We are obsessed with leaders.
Leadership is coveted by both people and companies.
However, we have a hard time defining what leadership is. As Joseph C. Rost, the author of Leadership for the 21st Century, explains: “The lack of agreement on the matter means that leadership is practically ‘anything anyone wants to say it is,’ and leaders are ‘anyone who is so designated.’”
When it comes to distributing authority, most organizations default to treat leadership as a badge of honor — it’s tightly held by a few individuals.
The paradox is that, though organizations crave for more leaders, they keep the ability to lead behind closed doors.
What if we let go of treating leadership as something exclusive?
Simply put, let’s democratize leadership.
Lea…
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