To be a Leader

Ok here is a question.
Who was the leader of the 1953 Everest Expedition that (perhaps) first conquered the Everest?
Chances are that you do not know the answer.
I do not blame you.
And even if you know that it was John Hunt, most remember Edmund Hillary.
So much for leaders.
And do you think Neil Armstrong would be a household name had he not been the first to step on the Moon? He happened to also be the mission commander. But did you know that? And did you also know that Buzz Aldrin was initially supposed to be the first to step on the Moon?
Leadership is not as cracked up as it is made out to be. Only the very strong can be one. And at times it demands sacrifice. And of all sacrifices the most difficult to make is that which goes by the name of 'ego'.
Do you still want to be a leader?

Cannot Rely On Leaders

The fact that the concept of leadership is hyped is gaining currency by the day.

Check out what Andrew Campbell, Jo Whitehead and Syndey Finkelstein has to say in their article titled 'Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions' in the February 2009 issue of the Harward Business Review:

[W]e cannot rely on leaders to spot and safeguard against their own errors in judgment.

They point out that decisions are made based on (previous) pattern recognition and emotional tagging. So one makes decision by looking up the emerging pattern from their previous experience and the emotional bonding with the pattern. Of course, each pattern has slightly different context and humans by nature are prone to emotional distortion. The authors therefore suggest a systematic way of identifying the distortions and eliminating biases.

These authors have published a book titled Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep It from Happening to You. I haven't read the book yet, but if the article is anything to go by, the book should be interesting.

Yes one needs leaders. No one doesn't need the hype. For my views on the hype see The Leadership Hype and How It Affects You