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Stop Applying 200 Year Old Leadership Remedies to Today’s Leadership Challenges

Leigh Bailey | May 20, 2014 | Blog | Business Transformation/Change Management | 2 minute read

Carl von clausewitzI just finished reading Lee Schafer’s column in the Sunday May 12 edition of the Star Tribune. In his column, Schafer asserts that what Target needs most in a new CEO is leadership. Can’t argue with that. Unfortunately, Mr. Schafer’s idea of what it takes to lead a transformation is as outdated as its source, a 200 year old book by the Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz.

Schafer falls victim to the “heroic leader” model of leadership, which asserts that the key for successful transformation in organizations is simply finding the right CEO with the right list of leadership qualities. According to Schafer, the list of qualities required “…isn’t a short list”, and “…the very best leaders have many of [qualities of leadership], none overshadowing the others.” Schafer goes on to laud von Clausewitz’s assertion that the best generals are motivated by hunger for honor and desire for renown. Really?

It is bad enough that Schafer is depending on outdated texts as the basis for making recommendations to the Target board on what to look for in the next CEO. Worse, he is sending the wrong message about what a CEO needs to focus on in order to lead transformation successfully.

Current research makes clear that successful transformation is about choosing the right leadership culture vs. simply one heroic leader. This begins with a CEO and executive team that understand the transformation they need to achieve is more than a new strategy, and that they must first transform their leadership behavior before the organization can transform. Using 200 year old maxims to meet the leadership challenges faced by organizations today is like trying to navigate a freeway in a horse and buggy. Disaster is the predictable result. Organizations need to focus on fostering the ability of teams, groups, networks and organizational leaders to become more flexible, collaborative, and able to work across organizational boundaries. Great individual leadership is not enough.

As for what motivates the most effective leaders, Schafer has it half right. In Good to Great, Jim Collins provides compelling data that suggests that the best leaders combine genuine personal humility with intense personal will. They are not driven by a hunger for personal renown.

There is no silver bullet to successful transformation. One exceptional leader, while necessary, is not sufficient. If your organization is struggling to transform, call me at 763-545-5997 to discuss what is really required to transform your organization.