The traditional autocratic style of leadership is dead in both politics and business, according to psychology research published recently that argues leaders succeed only by responding closely to their followers.
A group of psychologists distilled the results of their research at the 2010 British Science Festival in Birmingham.
“The fundamental point is that effective leadership is not about ‘me’ but about ‘us’,” said Alex Haslam, psychology professor at Exeter University.
The research analysed 85 recent books about leadership and studying public attitudes to leaders. “The patterns that emerge challenge traditional models of leadership which suggest that this is simply about the character of the people at the top,” said Prof Haslam. “Instead they suggest that leadership is always bound up with followership, and that groups work best when leaders and followers perceive themselves to share a common sense of identity.”
The problem is that this art of being ordinary usually starts to break down at the height of your powers as success sets you apart from your peers.
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