Re-thinking leadership

The absurdity of the bureaucratic leadership model is apparent to anyone who grew up on the social web, where influence depends on your ability to attract followers. If you’re a digital native, you view positional power as inherently authoritarian and are deeply suspicious of anyone who seeks “power over.”

To you, leadership isn’t about giving orders, but activating a community. You understand that the fastest way to erode your real leadership capital is to bludgeon others with your positional authority.

Given this, it’s time for a radical rethink of leadership and leadership development.  As much as your organization spends teaching up-and-comers to be better managers, it needs to invest even more in identifying and equipping those who are naturally inclined to be activists and hackers.