Leader of Captives or Leader of Free

Today I’d like to share with you an observation of drastically different leadership styles. I call these styles, the leader of captives and the leader of the free. 

Now in my 29th year in industry, I’ve seen many sorts of leadership styles. Some I’ve worked for, some I’ve worked with, some I’ve observed up close and some I’ve observed at a distance. In addition to on-the-job exposure I’ve further satisfied my curiosity with reading and study. Most recently I’ve been reading and studying works like “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek, “It’s Your Ship” By Captain D. Michael Abrashoff and “Managing Humans” by Michael Lopp. 

Earlier in my career I spent time with works such as “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, “Peopleware” by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister, “Tribal Leadership” by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright. I also spent time with what I’ll call more “heady” works like “The Fifth Discipline” by Peter Senge and “Drive” by Daniel Pink. 

After all this reading and study and across all my time in the workplace including time at 2 of the largest global brands and in my own business I believe I’ve observed some common traits in leadership behaviors that I don’t recall being discussed with the terms I’m going to use here. I expect that through the integration of my experience and study that these characterizations of leadership behaviors into these two rough categories has emerged out of contemplation of situations observed from vantage points more novel to me in these later phases of my career. 

First, I’d like to discuss the leader of captives. Think about what the word captive brings to your mind. A captive is a prisoner. A captive must conform to the rules of the environment lest the captive suffer some loss or forego some promised gain. The captive does no work from passion or vigor but simply toils just enough not to get punished. Leaders of captives use threats, criticism, deep interrogation and humiliation to force the effort they want out of those in their command. Leaders of captives do not see those in their charge as unique individuals. The captives are replaceable at any moment. They have no humanity. They are simply workers, paid to do as they’re told. 

The leader of captives develops habits as a prior captive. They learn that power comes from authority and exercised through the use of threats, biting criticism and humiliation. They learn that the leader is above all, smarter than all, more capable than all and that as leader they are higher in relation to the captives not just as workers but as people. All under the leader are inferior to the leader and the leader ensures this is not forgotten. 

A captive will not innovate. A captive will not stretch. A captive dreams every day of freedom but the captive knows that freedom means risk of loss and because the captive believes that the leaders control what the captive desires, the captive is unknowingly his own jail keeper. The leader of captives uses the captives own desire to trap him and keep him toiling away for an asymmetric benefit that enriches the leader far more than those whose hands do the work. 

So much for the leader of captives. If you’re still with me, I’d like to tell you now about the other category, the leader of the free. 

The leader of the free fundamentally knows that those he leads can depart from him at any moment suffering no loss whatsoever. The leader of the free considers those he leads critically important and unique individuals. The leader of the free knows that people need to be empowered by being built up, by being positively coached, by being helped and trusted because they are unique human beings. The leader of the free makes special effort to find someone doing great work instead of being critical of every mistake. 

The leader of the free never sees a mistake as intentional or the result of incompetence. The leader of the free empowers others to own their success and intervenes only in matters of safety or imminent threat to those led even potentially sacrificing himself to protect the others. 

The leader of the free knows that he has a position of honor and responsibility, that others are counting on the leader to make wise choices to the benefit of all and not just himself. The leader of the free separates the ego and finds more joy in the individuals succeeding than in his own perceived individual image of success. The leader of the free knows that his success comes only from the shared success of his team and nowhere else. 

After my work experience and study, I believe that I could categorize many leaders I’ve experienced as leaders of captives or leaders of free. I’m sure you could too. 

Two last points I’d like to make before I conclude this piece. First, consider what kinds of leadership has formed your habits. Yes, leadership is a habit. It is something you learn by study, experience, observation and practice that eventually becomes automatic – a habitual behavior. 

What kind of leader are you? How do you know? What would your team say? 

Lastly, consider the new work environment of this present time. The bounds of location are less constraining than ever before for so many different kinds of work. People have work freedom in ways they never had before. If you are a leader of captives, how much longer do you think that style is going to work in this new environment? Will you be able to change your leadership habits before it’s too late for your organization? 

I believe it is far better to be a leader of the free or at least to be led by a leader of the free. Nothing is more satisfying to one’s sense of personal agency and fuel for motivation like knowing you are valued and unique and that your unique contributions are important. Could anything be better for a leader than to have a team of bright, engaged individuals finishing their working time with a sense of accomplishment and victory instead of a sense of failure and humiliation. 

I know what kind of leadership I want to work with. I also know what kind of leader I want to be. 

How about you?

** My writing here is personal and is in no way representative of the position or opinions of any employer or organization that I am or have been affiliated with past or present. **