What are you a leader of?
So, you’re a leader. Good for you! Leadership comes in many shapes and forms, and for a person to identify themselves as a leader is to admit that you have influence in the world. But, the big question is; over whom do you have influence?
It seems pretty obvious that to be a leader, there needs to be two conditions that are met. Firstly, there needs to be a group of people (or at the very least, a person). And secondly, that this group is influenced by someone – that someone is the leader. We know from research that groups are groups because they identify as such; in other words, someone is a member of a collective based on their belief that they belong to said collective. A case in point would be the fans of a netball team. Simply by identifying as a fan, one is a member of the group. That doesn’t mean that everyone in the group accepts that person as one of them, but importantly, it does mean that if someone identifies as a member of a group, they are likely to adhere to the group’s rules. So, if there’s a recognised leader of that group, then people who believe they are part of the group will tend to be influenced by the group’s recognised leader.
People within a group will look to other group members to try and establish what group membership entails. People don’t look at other groups to figure out how they should act, or who they should be influenced by. As an example, the principal of a school is the leader of the staff (and hopefully the students). People who identify as belonging to the group that makes up the staff will associate the individual who is principal as the leader of their group. But when that individual is in a different group – let’s say that they are a member of a cover band in their spare time – they aren’t the leader of the band by default. The band members don’t identify as school staff, so there’s no reason for the principal to have influence based on other leadership positions. To be a leader then, one must be part of the group. And this is the key idea here – leaders exist within certain groups. They are identified as leaders as a result of being part of that group, and not because of something they do outside it. Only within an agreed group is the individual a leader – not in general.
When we say we’re a leader then, we need to be specific. Included in the definition must be the group that we lead. To say ‘I am a leader’ is incomplete; there needs to be a group involved. It’s far more accurate to say ‘I lead within my workplace as a supervisor’ or ‘I am a leader because I am captain of my club hockey team.’
The understanding that we are leaders only within certain groups – that is, only in certain contexts – is hugely important. It should ground and guide leaders in their group interactions. Fundamentally, they need to be active members of the group, and understand that they are reflective of group norms.
As we saw before, leaders need to be part of the group; and this includes not being above it. If a leader believes themselves to be above the group by virtue of position or influence, they will eventually find out they are party correct – they won’t be part of the group for long. And you cannot lead a group from the outside. Groups can be influenced only by people that the group accepts belong within the identified group. Only by being part of a group – and having the group believe they are part of the group – can an individual wield influence.
If you’re a leader, you’re a member of a group. It behoves you then to act like it, and to put the group’s needs ahead of your own. Failure to do so will see you ejected from the group, and stripped of any influence. This ejection might not be formal, but if the group mentally decides you’re out, your influence is over. Even when people are placed in positions of power and authority, failure to appreciate the requirement to be part of the group will result in exclusion from the group, and an inability to influence the group. You may coerce, but you will not lead. The idea that management are a separate entity within an organisation is as old as management itself – they often don’t integrate themselves as part of the group. This often means that change is met with resistance as people believe that changes are being imposed by non-group members. Far better to be an accepted influencer within the group, and bring them on a journey, than to impose your will and force compliance.
For groups to be influenced, they must be led by someone from within the group. If you believe you are a leader, you believe you are a member of a group, and that implies the requirement to put collective needs ahead of your own. Leading from the inside is the only way to gain willing and cohesive influence. This article started by asking if you’re a leader, over whom do you have influence – but this is in fact the wrong question for leaders to ask. The question is neither ‘are you a leader?’, nor ‘whom do you lead?’ but rather how do you show your group that you are one of them, and exercise your influence through the group – and not over them.
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