Redefining Leadership
Traditional leadership is based on hierarchy. The one above decides and the one below needs the approval of the upper leader before proceeding with an idea.
I am here to share with you my idea of leadership and attempt to define a different leadership structure.
Let's say there is a project with a team. The team has a leader (you may also call the leader as 'director') and many team members. A good leader would be the one who'd keep an eye on which team member is particularly enthusiastic about the project, believes in the project, deeply connects with the project idea and thinks of ways to develop the project.
Let's say A is the leader/director, and B is an emerging leader. B would need the guidance and support of A to emerge.
Let's say there are two more emerging leaders in the team, called C and D. Again, C and D would need the guidance and support of A to emerge.
There comes a point when B, C, and D mature and are ready to work independently with their ideas under the project. So A lets them. To make the new leaders feel more confident, A leaves the project to let the new leaders handle the project independently by working with one another.
Where do B, C, and D go when lost or confused? To A! (even though A is a former leader now.)
Likewise, B produced more leaders and similarly left the team to make the new leaders feel more confident in handling the project.
C and D did the same.
Where do the leaders E, F, G, H, I etc go when faced with confusion? To their former leader/mentor! Where do the former leaders go if they are confused too? To their former leader/mentor!
So I am suggesting here that leadership need not be based on titles and positions, it could rather be based on the trust of the existing leaders in their former leaders/mentors. They respect and value the former leaders not because of their titles (they no longer hold the position and the leadership title), but because they respect, trust and value them for their mentorship!
Hope I could convey what I wanted to and that it made sense!
@Fristo I'm not sure I understand this.
What makes B an emerging leader if B needs guidance and support?
And then, if B can eventually work independently and A allows this, isn't this now a hierarchy?
And then if A pretends to leave the project but continues to provide essential support when B becomes lost and confused, isn't this still a hierarchy in reality, with A remaining at the top and B merely a puppet leader?
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie There is a difference between hierarchy 'out of position' and hierarchy 'out of finding true value in someone's guidance' (which I wouldn't call hierarchy at all). If I phone up my former teacher for guidance, it is not because they are still my teacher but because I had built trust in them and value their perspective.
Language's ability is always imperfect and it can never 100% convey what the writer wanted to say. One can always deconstruct the text and make one's own interpretation of the text. What I really wanted to convey was, in a nutshell, that 'trust should prevail over titles', hehe if it makes sense.
