And the answer is…….”
Once again it’s happened. Another high level executive has been fired from a corporation for lack of fit. Not lack of performance, but lack of fit.
But let me start at the beginning. There has been a lot of discussion over the years about whether leaders are born or made. Some swear that people are either born leaders or they’re not. There are others who would alternately swear that leaders are made. And both groups can provide ample examples of people who either are born leaders or are made leaders.
So what’s the truth? Do I even dare to tell you that I believe I know the answer?
The answer is “both”. Some leaders are born and some are made. Whether a leader is born or made is not so much a function of the person, instead it is more a function of the “relationship” between the person and the situation. How’s that?
Let me explain!
Leadership, the kind that is recognized as leadership by others, is a specific behavior in relation to a specific situation such that the leader is seen as moving others into the future in a way that seems unknown to those being lead and perhaps even to the one leading. There you have it. A beautiful, concise, real definition of leadership!
Now let’s take the next step. If leadership is a behavior in relation to a situation, how might leadership show up? It can first show up as it has in historical terms for the most part. A person has a specific way of moving through the world, (i.e., behavior) and that behavior doesn’t fit the situation very well. Under these conditions the person who would be leader looks for all intents and purposes as a miss-fit. Not a leader. Not very much of anything.
And then the situation shifts. The circumstances are different. The would-be leader continues to behave as before, but now the situation has changed so that it perfectly matches the would-be leaders behaviors. Now all those around look at the person and exclaim “Here is our leader! He/she has been with us all the time!” Under these conditions it looks like the leader was a born leader. They were a leader all along. There is nothing for them to “become”. Under these conditions leadership looks like it is a natural gift. Winston Churchill falls into this category. And there are many others. People who look at this situation conclude that leadership is a born trait.
Now lets look at the other side of the coin. The alternative to the “born leader” is the leader that emerges into a situation that doesn't necessarily change to fit them, but they change to fit the situation. Under these circumstances the leader will mold and adjust to fit the leadership requirements of the specific circumstances. An example of this kind of leader was Dwight Eisenhower. People who look at this situation conclude that leadership is a learned trait.
Lets bring all this talk up to the present time. I’ll give you two examples of present-day business people who fit each of these categories. This is important….
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And the answer is…….”
Once again it’s happened. Another high level executive has been fired from a corporation for lack of fit. Not lack of performance, but lack of fit.
But let me start at the beginning. There has been a lot of discussion over the years about whether leaders are born or made. Some swear that people are either born leaders or they’re not. There are others who would alternately swear that leaders are made. And both groups can provide ample examples
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