Some of the major mistakes made by those who believe that formal power and authority are sufficient to convince others to do what they should, within the framework of corporate goals, are presented. Likewise, based on the analysis of some authors dealing with leadership issues, the participation of several people at the same time in a team is presumed, but each with different skills and competencies, from which, and thanks to an adequate Empowerment, each individual can exercise leadership without quarreling with team leadership.
Participatory leadership
Talking about leadership may sound like a drawer topic and exhausted enough; But the truth is very important in the current state of affairs in organizations. In this framework this writing corresponds to a reflection on some aspects related to this characteristic that is not only characteristic of the people who are at the head of a group of people.
The aforementioned is also supported by a phrase from a well-known author who states that authority and power are not enough for people to do what they should do, -Peter Drucker, 1991-, by this it means that when You have formal authority and power, it is not enough to become a leader. Who in public or private organizations holds authority and power, is not necessarily a "leader", in the sense of being "one who has the positive ability to motivate others to achieve a result consistent with the objectives of the organization".
Many times being on the pedestal of power from a formal point of view, the following mistakes are made1:
- You do not have or lose the ability to listen to others.
- No opportunities are created to make participation a permanent and positive activity on the part of people in company decisions.
- “Modeling” is not taught and leads, that is, behavior that serves as an example and inspiration for others is left aside
- Likewise, the contributions and efforts of others are not valued fairly.
- Those who are clouded by the " privileges of authority and power " do not understand the role of generating expectations that challenge the members of their team, depriving them of the opportunity to vibrate in the search for results.
- Much less provides enough confidence to create a work environment conducive to productivity. Now, this does not mean that close relationships must necessarily be established that move to the sentimental plane.
- One of the fundamental roles of leaders who are responsible for creating the environment, where the capabilities of team members are enhanced.
- Those who confuse their leadership role to that of simply being “bosses” will never understand that one of their obligations is to provide or to arrange the achievement of the necessary resources so that the plans, programs or projects are carried out
When the leader motivates, there is empowerment; It achieves that each person around him is not only aware of his responsibilities or obligations, but also takes charge of himself.
One of the basic competencies that leaders must have is what Dr. Daniel Goleman calls Emotional Intelligence2, understood here as the ability to understand and interrelate with others. This ability will allow leaders to synchronize the organization's objectives with the individual objectives of each member of their group. This facilitates teamwork; and at the same time enhances the unit of objectives of the set. The emotional climate of a company depends between 50 and 70% of the leader3.
It is clear that leaders must promote and encourage the creation of a group vision; This vision is not theirs, it is that of the team, which is reached through an exercise in collective creation4; difficult to achieve when personal arrogance prevails in many of our organizations. In this framework, the interests of each individual are synchronized with the interests of the leader and in harmony with those of the organization, even if they are not the same.
To achieve sustainability and maintain dynamism, the leader must strive to make the ingredient of creativity and innovation the order of the day within his team.
A leader is a businessman of hope; This means that you must have a genuine ability to keep the flame of the positive energy in the hearts of the members of your group burning continuously and continuously.
Furthermore, it must instill in him and install in the minds of "his leaders" that there are no shortcuts to excellence; This is that the effort and the constancy allow to obtain effective results, based on a higher productivity and whose raw material is knowledge. Even that failure is on the way to that route.
Finally, it can be seen that leadership is not an “individual” activity, but that it is carried out or materialized from a team; There is no leadership without a team. But at the same time to the extent that each of the members of a team has certain competencies, it is clear that from their empowerment they can exercise leadership activities continuously or discontinuously. It is on this basis that we speak of participatory leadership 5.
Bibliography
- Develop Your Leadership with 8 Influence Tools. “Towards Participatory Leadership,” Beatrice Briggs. At: http://iifac.org/bonfire/pdf/16_sp.pdfLiderazgo y Motivación, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZMhqTs28lYumudiosBooks. "The Fifth Discipline" by Peter Senge - Part One. Leadership and Vision. "The Fifth Discipline", Peter Senge.
Notes:
- Adapted from “Develop Your Leadership with 8 Influence Tools”. Video.Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize feelings of oneself and others, and the ability to manage them. "Managerial Style as a Behavioral Predictor of organizational Climate". McBer & Company, Boston, 1996. Peter Senge calls it “shared vision.” For an extension of the concept see: “Towards a participative leadership”, Beatrice Briggs.
