Evolution vs. Leadership

I have seen many times when leaders are faced with a very complex problem and they do not know exactly how to go about it, they often said, "let us wait and see." It is actually OK to wait and see. Its is better to wait till the picture gets clearer, more information gets unveiled. You can see which way the equilibrium is tending to tilt and suitably act. Sooner or later one must act.

I have also seen some leaders talk about "let it evolve;" but I think, it is dangerous. As a leader you can wait for more inputs to take decision, but you cannot wait till things evolve in any organisation. When evolution takes root, you can't touch it; It shapes itself. No leadership is required. As a leader, when you are allowing things to evolve, you are actually abdicating from your core responsibility.

Undoing an evolved practice is impossible. The larger the organisation, the more difficult it is to revise a practice. Of course, larger the organisation, easier it is to allow evolution to take root. Time is another aspect which aids evolution and hence, it is important not to wait too long for action.

Evolution has no end game in its sight. It keeps adapting to the situation and finds a most stable path and stabilises there till further adaptation is needed. Errors, mistakes, deliberate short cuts, mischiefs, and many other, give raise to new pathways for the evolution to move forward. One never knows where this path will take. Whereas , leadership is all about, designing and guiding in the right path - an intended path - towards a defined end goal, improve things along the way, establish best practices & excel in performance continuously.

One of the interesting facts about the nature of evolution & leadership is their opposing directions in which they work. Evolution always goes from simple systems to complex entities. Evolution builds complexity like anything; actually, without complexity, evolution cannot sustain. On the other hand, leadership dismantles complexity. It simplifies things. Without simplification of complex systems, leadership cannot thrive.

The extent of efforts required for sustained operation & performance in an organisation will indicate if the systems & procedures at the entity are evolved or designed. Needless to say that, the efforts required in evolved system are enormous, whereas, under a leadership ushered organisation, things happen like clock work and in simple steps. Actions & outcomes are predictable under leadership defined processes, whereas any outcome is likely under evolved system.

I have come across some institutions, where they claim to help you develop what they call "evolutionary leadership". It is not clear how leadership can evolve. If you want to develop leadership, evolution is the exact path you would never take. As I mentioned earlier, evolution does not take where you want to go, it goes where it suits itself. Only leadership does. "Evolutionary leadership" is an oxymoron.

Leadership may be innate quality in individuals. Many factors are involved in a leader developing the required traits for leading an organisation. However, when we look towards developing "leadership" as a soft skill among all people in the organisation, we cannot wait for the innate qualities to blossom on its own. We need to plan, design and guide required thinking, behavioural, emotional, intellectual, and even physical qualities in the leaders.

Leadership is not only about leaders in an organisation. Every individual in the organisation, from top to bottom, must develop and display some degree of leadership within their sphere of activities & influence. Leadership is about taking initiative, being curious to get into details, find ways & means to improve, feeling accountable for all outcomes in one's domain area, drive things towards a required goal in a sustainable manner. One does not require a title to display leadership potential and act as a leader (to refer the phrase used by Robin Sharma in his book "The Leader Who Had No Title".)