According to Bob Davids,“The rarest commodity is leadership without ego.” Imagine being under leadership that does not seek to dominate and control but aims to motivate, inspire, empower, uplift and bring out the best in their team to achieve a shared vision or goal!
In my 20 plus years working in the for profit and nonprofit sectors, I have seen only a few who put egos aside and were truly good leaders.
I have always been passionate about leadership and have been through many trainings to help me become a better leader. I also enjoy helping other leaders lead more effectively though coaching and training.
I currently have my own leadership coach because we all have room for improvement and need leadership tune ups. This is especially important in this current environment that is too often rife with insecure bullies or inept managers versus people who truly lead and inspire.
In Daniel H. Pink’s book “Drive,” he talks about his research and findings about what motivates people, and nowhere does he suggest bullying and controlling. He suggests things like giving people control over their destiny, a sense of purpose, mastery/challenge, empathy, etc.
In my recent viral Linkedin article “Get Out,” which talked about getting out of toxic work environments, I was stunned by the thousands of comments and references to trauma being inflicted on people in the workplace-as far away as Australia-by bad leadership.
One lady for example talked about how her boss would holler at her, call her a liar and repeatedly remind her that her (boss’) VP title deserves respect. She then spoke of her anxiety and fear of her boss and the need to pray in the restroom before going to her desk. Others spoke of the effects of these toxic work environments on their health and job performance.
Unfortunately, I can empathize with them as I have experience working under ego driven leadership. It was not a motivational experience, as it created stress, anxiety and chest pains. On the other hand, when I have experienced good leadership, I felt empowered, energized and ready to take on the world for my boss!
To create healthy work environments where people and organizations can thrive, we need more leaders and fewer bullies! It is critical that companies jettison the old school model of domination and control and trade it in for one that is more productive and less toxic for all. It is time for the real leaders to stand up! So, what can be done to improve the current state of leadership? I’m glad you asked!
Read the full article @ LinkedIn
