LO a means or an end? LO6282

Virginia I. Shafer (vshafer@AZStarNet.com)
Thu, 28 Mar 1996 22:41:00 -0700 (MST)

Replying to LO6253 --

Gene Bellinger writes:
>Leaders create followers, and followers create leaders, and in some unique
>instances they are one and the same.

Well said and in alignment with the notion of leading from within.

>Max De Pree said, "The first responsibility of a leader is to define
>reality, the last is to say thank you. In between the leader should be a
>servant."

Read this again from the perspective that the leader and the follower are
one and the same.

>So, another connotation for it the leader has to define reality the
>implication is that those led are incapable of defining reality, so like a
>herd they must be lead along the way. The implication being that
>leadership is demeaning?

I wouldn't say incapable of defining reality, rather not in the position
do define the parameters (not the resource provider) and the parameters
establish the boundaries of reality--in that way defining it. Using the
herd analogy, the leader or shepherd establishes boundaries (by
investigating the terrain and learning where the cliffs are, where the
snakes are, etc.) and once defined, the herd should be empowered to roam
wherever they care to--within the safety zone. Now, some in the herd will
wander off--and that's okay. Their wandering may serve to reinforce the
danger of falling off the cliff and be a loss to the herd. Or the
wanderer may discover greener pastures beyond the rocks where the snakes
dwell. Somehow communicating this with the herd, the shepherd or leader
realizes the boundaries can be changed and all resources can be applied to
move in this new direction.

I could go on ad nauseum. And I know there are those taking offense to
using animals to describe human behaviors--so, why are the monkeys the
most visited exhibit in the zoo? I ramble.

>So what is an appropriate persepective from which to lead?

I say from within which has nothing to do with the metaphor of the herd,
but it's the perspective one should use to lead, IMHO.

-- 

Ginger Shafer The Leadership Dimension "Bringing Leadership to Life" vshafer@azstarnet.com

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>