Leadership Choices 1st of 2

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss.
The leader leads, and the boss drives.
~ Theodore Roosevelt

This post opens a two-part invitation to consider people management, both  personal and internal as well as external and chosen, including those elected as trustees and guides.

The Harvard Business Review reported,

Different leaders exhibit different kinds of action logic—ways in which they interpret their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged. … The least effective for organizational leadership are the Opportunist and Diplomat; the most effective, the Strategist and Alchemist.

Of the two least effective, HBR found

Diplomats are much more problematic in top leadership roles because they try to ignore conflict. They tend to be overly polite and friendly and find it virtually impossible to give challenging feedback to others. 

Of the Opportunist, HBR wrote,

Our most comforting finding was that only 5% of the leaders in our sample were characterized by mistrust, egocentrism, and manipulativeness. We call these leaders Opportunists, a title that reflects their tendency to focus on personal wins and see the world and other people as opportunities to be exploited. Their approach to the outside world is largely determined by their perception of control.

1. He doesn’t have to physically push you against a wall like he may have done in grade school. Now he has the ability to fire you or destroy your career and he is not shy about making you aware of that constantly.
2. The bully-boss loves to isolate his target from the team.
3. This ‘leader’ will make disparaging comments regarding his target to the target’s teammates. He will often discuss the poor performance of his target and usually makes sure it’s personal, stating that “this guy (or gal) isn’t very bright, he just doesn’t have what it takes.”
4. Sound familiar?  Read more.

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