SELF-ACTUALIZING LEADERS

For the past two years I have been modeling leadership. I wanted to extend and expand the work on self-actualization, as Maslow did, to business, to leadership, to companies, to wealth creation to politics. So the modeling has not been about leadership generally, and especially not to the old unhealthy ancient military leadership of command-and-control. Instead, my focus has been on self-actualizing leaders and companies.

This special kind of leadership actually describes true leadership, rather than the false images of leaders that have been so common in human history and even today in much of the current research on leadership. Now I know that is a bold statement—an audacious statement—and one that you probably will want me to explain and defend before you just accept it. So I’ll give that a go in this Meta Reflection.

False Leadership Images False images of leaders— are images of Command-and-Control Leaders that lead because they have “power.” And how is this a false image? Because if a person has “power,” has authority to order and command, then there’s no need to lead and have people follow. Actually, there’s no leading-and-following because there’s actually power-to-inflict-pain-and-punishment-if-there-is- not-compliance. When someone orders me to do something when I have no real choice except to accept pain, punishment, severe consequences, the person is not a leader, but a Commander or General. The person is not leading, the person is dictating. In such a case, there’s no real choice to follow. Anyone with a brain, and who doesn’t want punished, will comply. But he or she will comply with their fingers crossed and with their teeth gritted. They may behaviorally go along, but they are not following in their mind or heart. That’s not leadership.

Another false image of a leader—someone arbitrarily put at the top of an organization. Yet merely conferring a title or role on a person, giving them a corner office, putting CEO or Vice- President, or any other title on the door, does not a leader make. That’s having position authority conferred and given the right to use one’s status or office to make people follow or else. And it is that or else that falsely defines such as leadership. It is not leadership. Not real leadership.

Real leadership involves the free choice to follow. Where there is not that freedom, there is not the possibility of leading and following, just accepting orders, complying, and choosing to avoid pain. I love how John Maxwell has defined leadership.

“He who thinketh he leadeth, but hath no followers is simply out for a walk.”

If you are a true leader, then take the leadership test. Turn around and look behind you. Is

anyone following you? Who is following you? Where do they think you are going that they want to join and be a part of your journey? If no one is freely following because they love your vision and the meaning of your journey, then you are out for a walk—regardless of your titles.

False images of leaders—assuming leaders are born, that they have certain traits or attributes, and that once a leader, always a leader. Ridiculous. No one is always a leader! Leadership is situational. The leader in any given context is the person who knows that area and can lead others in it. That’s why there are so many different kinds of leaders—thought leaders, hero leaders, administrative leaders, visionary leaders, moral leaders, orator leaders, political leaders, entrepreneur leaders, corporate leaders, and so on. No one is a universal leader who is always looked to for guidance!

False images of leaders—leaders a great, charismatic, charming, powerful people, above and beyond “regular” people. This is the myth of inborn greatness that makes the leader so special, so mysterious, so mythical, so much higher and beyond the masses. Again, ridiculous. Leaders are human beings with plenty of fallibilities, flaws, and foibles. Every leader is fallible and has weaknesses. None are perfect. Leaders often succeed in leading in spite of their idiosyncrasies and sometimes because of their weaknesses.

True Leadership These are some of the key false images of leaders that has misled us and that continue to misled us about “leadership.” When Morpheus first met Neo, he asked him if he wanted to know what the Matrix is. “Do you want to know what it is?” And with that question, the adventure of discovering, escaping, and mastering the Matrix began.

How about true leadership? How about self-actualizing leadership? “Do you want to know what it is?”

A self-actualizing leader is a man or woman with a meaningful vision that he or she has already begun to experience regarding some need or want and who wants to share so that it helps others to reach their full human potential. A self-actualizing leader effectively collaborates with others to actualize an important vision that enriches people and makes a difference. A self-actualizing leader sees a situation in which he or she can add value and facilitate the best in those who follow so that together they can do more than they can individually or apart.

The power or authority of true leadership is not in the office, the status, the title, and so on, it is in the person. People follow willingly and freely because of what the leader offers—the value of meaning, vision, and solution that the leader offers. Leaders are leaders because they add value to people. The leadership is not about them even though it is through them. Self-centered leaders who are prima donnas who like being dictators, demi-gods, and make everything about their status, memory, image, etc. are not real leaders. They are too insecure to be humble and focus on others. That’s why we need true leaders today more than ever—that’s why we need self-actualizing leaders at every level in every organization, business, and government. Here’s to your development as a self-actualizing leader and to your coaching of self-actualizing leaders!