Why a lot of leaders don't consider themselves leaders - and how we can break the cycle
Nina Haidinger
Mindful Leadership Coach & Meditation Teacher for leaders who want to lead with authenticity and health
Why a lot of leaders don′t consider themselves leaders - and how we can break the cycle:
?We are scared to not be taken seriously“
Leadership is often tied to a #hierarchical position (manager, executive). The traits of a #leader are then deducted from the dominant #stereotype of these positions which is in most regions: white, male, cisgender, heterosexual. If you don’t fall into these groups, a lot of the classic traits won’t apply to you, which blocks #identification.
?We want to operate at eye level“
Leaders see themselves at eye level with others. The common perception of being better or ?more of“ something doesn’t align with their world view.
?Capitalist leadership notions don’t align with our values“
Leaders ?lead by example“ and are driven by their #values. Often the common perceptions of a leader don’t align with essential values, hindering identification.
?We are scared of losing belonging“
Harvard conducted a #study and found out that reputational risk is another big factor. People are worried that identifying as a leader could cause them to seem domineering. They fear to be different and lose their belonging in a group. Or they worry to not live up to what people expect and they won’t be taken seriously.
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Why is this a problem?
Research shows that if people don’t identify as leaders, capable people will fail to step up to take #leadership responsibilities. The higher the fear of the risks of identifying as a leader, the less likely people are to see themselves as leaders or be seen by others as leaders. That means we are losing diverse leadership potential.
What we can do?
Create human narratives of a leader:
Leadership definitions need to allow for #diversity and a spectrum of personalities and traits within leaders. Leaders may fail, may care too much or too little, may speak too much or too little, may have brilliant ideas or average ones. What inspires us to act is authenticity and that can’t be achieved through machine - like expectations of excellence. Leaders aren’t excellent because they are infallible - they are excellent because they are human.
Share human narratives of leaders:
Organizations and #managers need to actively promote these humane notions and definitions of leadership.
As well as, each one of us can honor leadership whenever we see it: the mother with her child, the homeless person on the street, the listening friend.
Consider leadership as something we can learn instead of an innate quality. It gives us more space to make mistakes and grow.