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Leon Levin DBA
International Director, IPSLEI Board of Directors
March 3, 2024
Leadership is a term often used, and a position often aspired to, but what is leadership, real
leadership and how does it permeate within the corporate environment and more
importantly where does it emanate from.
Leadership as a discipline is a relatively new phenomenon. In the recent past what
determined who would become a leader was generally based upon wealth, linage, and
status. The concept of leadership progression based upon merit was the extreme exception
rather than the rule. There were notable exceptions, George Washington being one,
however his progression and the progression of his fellow revolutionaries was more a
reflection of the new society they were creating, breaking the old-world models.
The old-world models of leadership progression have not disappeared in the 21 st century if
one considers societies such as North Korea or Syria. As the leadership culture tends to
eliminate from the top, the lack of a competitive industrial platform within these societies
can be argued is emblematic of a top-down paternalistic approach. This is supported by
work undertaken by Geert Hofstede in his cultural dimension theory which looks at the
effect of culture on the value of a given membership and how these values may
correspond to the behaviors of people within a culture.
This approach is not unique to autocratic societies, over 70% of business in the western
world are family business and in many cases the succession progression in these businesses
are based on blood not competency. In the context of a family business, the “blood-focus” is
understandable, however this approach does not guarantee future continuity or success.
It may in the short-term facilitate family harmony, but many succession plans fail. Doctoral
research undertaken by Dr. Leon Levin found that the least effective leadership model in
family businesses during and post succession was where the succession decision was based
on family linage solely. Given the familial culture within many public safety agencies this
may deserve a deeper investigation particularly amongst agencies that tout a formal
succession plan or development program.
So how does one become an effective leader, where does the leadership transition begin?
If you cannot lead yourself then it is hard to expect any “leader” to be able to effectively
lead others. Before you even try to lead yourself, you must understand what you stand for
and what you believe in and build upon that foundation. This is harder than it sounds and
takes a great deal of self-refection and personal honesty. A major premise of the work at
IPSLEI is that all leadership starts with self-leadership just as all ethics starts with self-ethics.
Understanding what drives you and what is the motivating force behind your actions is best
exemplified by Victor Frankel in Man’s Search for Meaning (1946). Frankel observed that
even in the dystopian world of Auschwitz, where he was incarcerated for over 2 years, those
who lost what defined them, and what they believed in i.e., their purpose, had the worst
chance of survival. Their inner core was destroyed.
One hopes that Frankel’s experiences are not experienced in the corporate boardrooms of
the west, but the principle stands. Define yourself and your mission, that will give you the
north star upon which to build your corporate (and personal) decisions. Adherence to this
sense of self, will ensure that you are an authentic leader, in adherence to your set of
values, maintaining a constant ethical pathway. And like-minded people will gravitate to
you.
This need for self-exploration and definition is ever more so important in today’s world, due
to the proliferation of social media and the panoply of different “fact” and Identity” sources
that we are all bombarded with every waking minute. The social platforms of the 21 st
century are the new bully pulpits which amplify the plethora of new and evolving identities
that now are imbedded the social discourse.
In today’s efforts at leadership development individuals seek to anchor their sense of self.
That said persons exercising leadership must stand for something and must create a
coherent and focused direction in how they deal with corporate decision-making and
problem solving. Trying to be all things to all “identities” ultimately leads to leaders
representing nothing.
Leadership must not be based on popularity; it must be based on core values and ethics. In
today’s social media-based world, there are many people waiting to be offended, the
emotional hemophiliacs brigade, who tend to dominate the social and corporate discourse,
bellowing the loudest and crowding out the silent majority. Leadership must overcome this
noise and stand up to the vox populi if the situation warrants.
This takes self-assurance. Wavering from this inner locus of control can have a corrosive
effect on decision-making generally and creativity and problem solving specifically.
John Cleese a warrior against political correctness and its effect on creativity noted that not
only does the fear of offence stifle creative debate, but it also castrates creative thought
within, a form of self-censorship, i.e., should I say it or should I just be quiet.
One of leadership’s core missions should be to challenge the status quo by pushing back
against what is currently accepted in a creative and productive way with the hope that
something better will evolve. This will create friction and, in many cases, “offence”.
However, the evolution of western thought, is predicated on “offence” as represented by
some of the great thinkers of the enlightenment, John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and
others.
They were offending the status quo, to moving forward. One should consider that without
the intellectual and ethical leadership the world would be a much less interesting place
today. The modern leaders and thinkers in today’s world must take up the mantel of these
intellectual leaders and take on the challenge.
Leadership can be a lonely and thankless task, but it is rewarding and if based upon real
values and an ethical framework incredibly nourishing for the soul.
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Leon Levin is an experienced management, leadership, and education consultant based in
Melbourne, Australia. He is co-founder along with Peter Singer of the newly formed firm of
Combined Arms Consulting (https://www.combinedarms.com.au/).
Leon maybe contacted online at LinkedIn or email at sampling@optusnet.com.au.