I'm sad to report that in the past few years, ever since uncertainty became our insistent 21st century companion, leadership has taken a great leap backwards to the familiar territory of command and control.
Margaret J. WheatleyRead
We need to move from the leader as hero, to the leader as host.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the shift in leadership style from a traditional heroic model to one where leaders facilitate and support others.
Margaret J. Wheatley's quote suggests that effective leadership should not be about the leader being the central heroic figure, but rather about being a host who creates an environment where others can thrive and contribute. This shift acknowledges the collaborative nature of modern leadership, where empowering team members and valuing their input is essential for success.
In practice
In a team meeting about project management, this quote could inspire discussions about creating inclusive environments.
I'm sad to report that in the past few years, ever since uncertainty became our insistent 21st century companion, leadership has taken a great leap backwards to the familiar territory of command and control.
In our daily life, we encounter people who are angry, deceitful, intent only on satisfying their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together.
Even though worker capacity and motivation are destroyed when leaders choose power over productivity, it appears that bosses would rather be in control than have the organization work well.
Our willingness to acknowledge that we only see half the picture creates the conditions that make us more attractive to others. The more sincerely we acknowledge our need for their different insights and perspectives, the more they will be magnetized to join us.
They have eliminated rigidity, both physical and psychological, in order to support more fluid processes whereby temporary teams are created to deal with specific and ever-changing needs. They have simplified roles into minimal categories; they have knocked down walls and created workplaces where people, ideas, and information circulate freely.
It's not differences that divide us. It's our judgments about each other that do.
If you're running an engineering or finance company, all companies depend on ideas and ingenuity. I think the principles of creative leadership apply everywhere, whether it's an advertising company or whether you're running a hospital.
Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.
Leaders lead but in the end it's the people who deliver.
I think that the larger and more complex the business gets, I have to listen twice as much as I speak.
If you join government, calmly make your contribution and move on. Don't go along to get along; do your best and when you have to - and you will - leave, and be something else.
'Selma' is a story about voice - the voice of a great leader; the voice of a community that triumphs despite turmoil; and the voice of a nation striving to grow into a better society. I hope the film reminds us that all voices are valuable and worthy of being heard.
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