Each of us has an implicit leadership theory, a mental model we are largely unaware of, that represents the skills, traits, and qualities that define effective leaders. Curiously, the peerreviewed literature has reported almost exclusively on the ideal attributes of leaders, overlooking the axiomatic and taken-for-granted views people have about the activity we colloquially refer to as "leadership." Some of these beliefs about leadership are so common and accepted as true that challenging them is counterintuitive, yet they can limit organizational effectiveness. In this article, we discuss four common leadership misunderstandings that contribute to the fabric of our self-evident, unexamined common sense view of leadership. Challenging these misconceptions provides the opportunity to create a new paradigm of leadership, one that could enhance organizational performance.
The elusiveness of our words, their inability to fully capture reality, and our natural tendency to hear only what fits with our existing framing lenses contribute to the limitations of language. These inadequacies are especially important when it comes to leadership since language is the leader's most important resource. In order to be effective, leaders must be aware that language creates contexts and that contexts are, by nature, limiting. This awareness doesn't immunize them from the limitations of language but it does position them to use language in ways that maximizes its impact. In order to create shared meaning and a shared vision, and to overcome these limitations of language, leaders must 1) be as clear and concise as possible about the organization's direction, values (culture), and performance expectations; 2) encourage dialogue and a rich diversity of perspectives, and 3) use transformative language to rewrite the future. Changing people's entrenched beliefs and behaviors that have been successful for decades almost always requires a story about the future that engages and captivates them. That future, which is only a possibility today, must be appealing enough to produce the necessary courage in people to take on the status quo. It must be "hittable" enough so that it shows up for people as feasibly solvable and they simultaneously show up for themselves as capable of tackling it. And, the new future must be inspirational enough to unite and align them so that their decisions and actions can be coordinated efficiently and effectively.
Human beings are fundamentally future oriented. Most of our decisions and undertakings are for the sake of a future to which we are committed or obligated. This future orientation is essential to effective leadership in health care, especially during this time of significant reform, when people are at risk of becoming cynical and disengaged. Conventional thinking holds that our effectiveness as leaders is primarily a function of what we have learned in the past-our knowledge, expertise, and experience. In contrast, the emerging model contends that our effectiveness is also a function of how the future (outcome) of our leadership challenges "shows up" for us. If, despite daunting circumstances, we can "see" an aspired future ahead, we are more likely to commit and engage. Our story of the future becomes the "narrative frame" through which we see and tackle leadership challenges today. Because organizations are fundamentally networks of conversations, an organization's ability to create new language practices is tantamount to its ability to evolve. What makes the future compelling is the embodiment of our deepest convictions and ideals in our image of the future. Because health care reform has challenged the medical profession along the entire spectrum of its traditional values and roles, working toward a unifying vision of the future has been difficult. To enroll others in creating a better future, effective leaders must underscore the purpose and importance of their work and motivate them with inspiring stories.
In this article, we describe and illustrate, by way of examples, an important, though often underappreciated, role of leaders: a distinction generator. In the context of leadership, the idea of a distinction is to be understood as something someone says (spoken) or does that uncovers (discloses) for others a way of "seeing" an issue or a challenge that was previously imperceptible or unavailable. Distinctions, which are linguistic in nature, are crucial communication vehicles because they can evoke new ways of sense-making, thereby motivating others to change the way in which they talk, behave, and work together. In doing so, distinctions, by virtue of enabling us to see things in another light, become framing lenses (contexts) from and through which we live our lives differently. Distinctions, which are especially powerful during times of change and uncertainty, need not be grandiose inspirational elocutions; in fact, most are little "d" distinctions but this in no way lessens their potential for opening up and making available a new prospects for being and acting. In this sense, everyone, whether they have titular authority or not, can, simply by what they say, inspire others to put their best foot forward.
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