The Eight Self-evident Truths of Zombie Leadership

I have been a keen student of leadership development and training from the time I started working with CEOs and Boards on financial statement certifications in 2005. I wanted to find out what their keys to success were.

What I found was often puzzling and contradictory.

Even though I observed that the leaders I worked with differed in education, training, personality, manner, temperament, and approach, most of the books I read on leadership failed to take into account the variability in leadership practice and often promoted a concrete and idealized form of what a leaders should do and be to be successful.

I noted that the leadership training and development courses offered to entities often focused on training leaders and would-be leaders in a way that failed to take into account the subtleties and nuances prevalent in those who were considered leaders.

It is clear that organizations and enterprises understand the reasons why leadership training is important - support the successful achievement of organizational objectives - and therefore they allocate sizable budgets for the program. For example, In 2019, investments in leadership training were estimated to be $370.3 billion globally, with $169.4 billion coming from North America (Size of the Training Industry, 2020). Despite the vast sums of money spent on leadership training, "the returns these investments yield for leaders and their teams are not always clear".

What is it about leadership theory and leadership constructs that are contributing to sub-optimal leadership development outcomes?

A recent article, "Zombie leadership: Dead ideas that still walk among us" examines "self-evident truths (or axioms) which serve to constrain empirical research" that can be used to explain why leadership training and development fails to deliver on its promise of building capable leaders.

The authors identify eight persistent key axioms (or core claims) of Zombie leadership that inform and influence leadership and leadership development and training. These axioms persist despite being systematically and thoroughly debunked by academic research.

LEADERSHIP OVERSIMPLIFIED

Each axiom encapsulates an oversimplified or erroneous belief that limits our understanding and reduces the impact of the practice of leadership.

Here's a summary:

1. LEADERSHIP IS ALL ABOUT LEADERS:

? Leadership is viewed solely as the actions and traits of formal leaders, ignoring the role of followers and collective dynamics. This is a key point, while being fixated on the needs of the leader, sufficient attention is not paid to ensuring the developmental needs of employees / followers.

2. THERE ARE SPECIFIC QUALITIES THAT ALL GREAT LEADERS HAVE:

? Great leadership is often attributed to inherent qualities like intelligence or charisma, but these are context-dependent and based on followers' perceptions. This implies that leadership cannot be learned and that leaders have been anointed and placed in their role.

3. THERE ARE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT ALL GREAT LEADERS DO:

? Leadership is erroneously reduced to universal behaviors or strategies, neglecting the importance of adapting to group-specific needs and contexts. Leadership requires leaders to be flexible and possess the ability to apply different leadership styles to different situations and contexts.

4. WE ALL KNOW GREAT LEADERS WHEN WE SEE ONE:

? The idea assumes a universal consensus on leadership greatness, but such perceptions are influenced by cultural, temporal, and group-specific biases. Are they great leaders because of mantle of their position or are they truly great leaders?

5. ALL LEADERSHIP IS THE SAME:

? Leadership is mistakenly treated as a universal concept, failing to account for its variation based on context, culture, and group norms. See point 3 above.

6. LEADERSHIP IS A SPECIAL SKILL LIMITED TO SPECIAL PEOPLE:

? Leadership is seen as an elite and exclusive skill, which fosters inequality and undermines collective participation and effectiveness. However, when leadership skill and ability is imparted through higher education (such as an MBA program), and not necessarily gained through experience, this special skill can purchased by people who can afford it and not those who are necessarily good leaders.

7. LEADERSHIP IS ALWAYS GOOD AND IT IS ALWAYS GOOD FOR EVERYONE:

? Leadership is idealized as universally beneficial, ignoring its potential to reinforce inequality, tyranny, or harm to specific groups. A leader who relies on toxic behaviours to motivate their team does not benefit individual team member's performance or well-being or mental health.

8. EMPLOYEES CANNOT COPE WITHOUT LEADERS:

? Leadership is framed as indispensable for group success, overlooking evidence of effective self-organization and the ways excessive reliance on leaders can harm group dynamics. Good leaders ensure group success by supporting and ensuring team members can achieve their assigned objectives.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, my journey into the world of leadership development has highlighted some significant gaps between theory and practice. Despite the substantial investments organizations make in leadership training, the outcomes often fall short.

A closer look reveals that many of the foundational beliefs that shape leadership theory—what we might call "Zombie leadership"—are outdated, overly simplistic, and, in some cases, actively hinder progress. These ingrained assumptions about leadership, whether it's the belief that leadership is an inherent trait, or that it always leads to positive outcomes, fail to capture the complexities and nuances that truly drive effective leadership.

To move forward, it needs to recognized that leadership is dynamic, context-dependent, and deeply influenced by both leaders and followers.

It is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather a multifaceted, evolving practice that demands flexibility, openness, and a willingness to embrace the collective power within organizations. Only then can leadership development programs begin to fulfill their true potential and lead to more successful, adaptive leaders.

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Aarn Wennekers ? 2024