Four Popular Myths About Leadership
Category: Physician Coaching Tips, Physicians Leading Transformation
According to researchers and consultants Goffee and Jones (see previous topic), many executives profoundly misunderstand what makes an inspirational leader. These are the four most common myths:
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Everyone can be a leader. NOT TRUE. Many executives don’t have the self-knowledge or the authenticity necessary for leadership.
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Leaders deliver business results. NOT ALWAYS. If results were always a matter of good leadership, picking leaders would be easy. Things are not that simple. Businesses in quasi-monopolistic industries can often do very well with competent management rather than great leadership. Equally, some well-led businesses do not necessarily produce results, particularly in the short term.
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People who get to the top are leaders. NOT NECESSARILY. One of the most persistent misperceptions is that people in leadership positions are leaders. But people who make it to the top may have done so because of political acumen, not necessarily because of true leadership quality. What’s more, real leaders are found all over the organization, from the executive suite to the shop floor. By definition, leaders are simply people who have followers, and rank doesn’t have much to do with that.
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Leaders are great coaches
Francine R. Gaillour, MD, Business Consultant and Executive Coach for Healthcare Leaders francine@physicianleadership.com, (206) 686-4205
Knowing Yourself: Your Key to Leadership
Are you on a path to leadership? Leadership means inspiring others to be their best and act in a way that honors higher values set by themselves or by a group. In becoming a leader, you inspire by speaking from your essence, your heart, your values; this requires knowing yourself. Knowing yourself means separating who you are and who you want to be from what the world thinks you are and wants you to be. No one can teach you how to become yourself, to take charge, to express yourself, except you. As you think about the process, here are four lessons offered by Warren Bennis, author of “On Becoming a Leader”:
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You are your own best teacher
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Accept responsibility. Blame no one.
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You can learn anything you want to learn.
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True understanding comes from reflecting on your experience.