Thinking Differently About

Leadership

Presented by Eric K. Kaufman

October 8, 2017

www.simonwestern.com To cite work: Western S. (2008) Leadership a Critical Text, Sage London

Controller vs. Therapist

Messiah vs. Eco-Leadership

Shift from Individual Leaders

According to Western (2010):

“We mistakenly recognize power at the

center as strength and power at the margins

as a structural weakness when neither is the

case. Eco-leadership shifts the focus from

individual leaders to leadership—a radically

distributed leadership—in an attempt to

harness the energy and creativity in a whole

system.” (p. 44)

Fear of Eco-Leadership?

“If we are able to lay aside our fears, even

momentarily, to consider the collective

alternative, we might not only see its value

but also its appropriateness for 21st-century

organization…. People have to be willing to

find their voice and contribute it to the

growth of the community.”- Raelin (2017) “What are you afraid of: Collective leadership and its

learning implications.”

Un-doing Understanding

• How does this relate

to our theoretical and

practical

understandings of

leadership?

• How might our deep-

seated biases affect

our ability to

understand

leadership?

The Backwards Brain Bicycle -

Smarter Every Day 133

Prospects for

Strengths-Based Leadership

• Argues that we all have

innate talents to be

developed into strengths

• Views leadership as a

collective process

• Recommends different

strengths for different

leadership situations

Lesson for Practice

“A leader is someone who can get

things done through other people.”-Warren Buffet

Executing Relationship Building

Strategic Thinking Influencing

Domains of Leadership Strength

Task-

Oriented

People-

Oriented

Future-Oriented

Present-Oriented Internal-Focused

External-Focused

Implications for You and Others?

Thank you!

Let me know how I can help

• Eric Kaufman

– EKK@VT.Edu