Are we missing the purpose of Leadership?

Recently I joined a group of academics, psychologists and leadership coaches in a discussion on the
psychology of leadership and was struck by how much we focused on the mechanics of leadership. The
more I explored this idea, the more I questioned whether contemporary leadership development
theories and practices are overemphasising how to lead ! underscoring the importance of influence,
alignment, coordination and more recently collaboration skills ! as opposed to why we lead.
"eadership is a highly complex phenomenon and the history of humanity has proven our need and
desire for it. #ut what exactly is the purpose of leadership$ In our thinking about leadership are we
focusing too much on the how to lead without sufficient emphasise on why we lead$ In this article I
question whether we are neglecting the inner most kernel of leadership ! the purpose of leadership !
and the impact this has on how we educate and develop leaders.
Buddha and the Native Americans
To create a wider perspective on the purpose of leadership, Id like to refer to two stories from our past.
The first is the story of the 7
th
Century Indian King, Siddhartha. hen Siddhartha saw his peoples pain
and suffering it made him !uestion the true !uality of his comforta"le life. #e e$perienced what we might
nowadays call a mid%life crisis & or what turned out to "e his mid%life awakening. The once content King
left his palace on a !uest for meaning. 'fter a long (ourney of suffering he seated himself under a sacred
fig tree and vowed never to arise until he found the truth. 'fter )* days of meditation, Siddhartha finally
reached +nlightenment and was from that time known as ,uddha. ,uddhas newfound wisdom gave him
the agency to spend the rest of his life travelling and teaching the path to enlightenment.-./
The second story comes from the nature "ased tri"es of 'merica. hen young warriors returned home
from fasting in the wilderness, as a part of their rite of passage from "oy to man, the elders ask them three
!uestions0
% ho went out1
% ho has come "ack1
% hat gift do you "ring "ack to your people1
Its this third !uestion that speaks to the inner most kernel of leadership & to its purpose. 2undamentally
leadership is a"out the "etterment of our people and our planet. The young warriors gift was discovered
"y going on a (ourney that facilitated a deeper, inner (ourney & a (ourney of self%discovery. ,y going out
into the wilderness, the individual went on an inward (ourney and their vision "egan to e$pand. Their
newly discovered gift "ecame the source for the young warriors actions. 3n their return, the e$perience
transformed from a state of "eing to a state of doing which shaped the warriors actions in the world.
Contemporary Leadership
The reason I reference stories from a pre%industrial age is to highlight where our contemporary leadership
theories and practices may fall short. The psychologist 4an 4ugt defines leadership 5"roadly -as/ a process
of influence to achieve coordination "etween individuals for the pursuit of mutual goals6.-7/2or me, this
definition captures a common position that is used in contemporary leadership education and
development. It is a definition that promotes the mechanics of leadership, the 8how to lead and fails to
acknowledge the inner most kernel of leadership & its purpose.
It is my "elief that leadership is more than coordination9 leadership is a"out "etterment & to create
"etterment for people and our planet. :es, coordination skills can "e very important to learn, "ut should
they "e the primary focus for educating and developing our emerging leaders1 Should our leaders (ust "e
asking themselves 5how do I coordinate people towards a goal16 3r should our leaders also "e asking
5what gift do I "ring to people and our planet16 3f course "oth !uestions are important. #owever, I
"elieve the purpose !uestion must "e primary and the coordination !uestion, secondary.
Contemporary Terminology
+ven the terms Colla"orative ;eadership-</ and Transformational ;eadership,-)/ that have emerged
recently are descriptive of the mechanics of leadership as opposed to the deeper purpose of leadership.
'lthough they speak to the being as opposed to the doing of leadership, I also struggle with morally
charged terms like true or authentic leadership,-=/ as they do not capture the essence of leadership "y
avoiding descri"ing its purpose. It is not enough for the leader to "e good, or true or authentic.
;eadership is a state of being anddoing that re!uires the leader to not (ust know their gift, "ut how this
actively supports the "etterment of people and our planet.
Is contemporary leadership terminology addressing the essence of leadership$
Purposeful Leadership
In the spirit of e$ploring the idea of emphasising the essence of leadership, a term I offer to discussion
is %urposeful "eadership. ,y >urposeful ;eadership, I refer to a state of "eing & in mind, "ody and spirit
& that creates the agency for our doing & our actions. >urposeful ;eaders know their gift and how that
supports the "etterment of people and our planet. >urposeful ;eadership goes "eyond the notion that
leadership is a position that must sit at the top of an organisation or at certain points in its structure.
>urposeful ;eadership can e$ist across the whole organisation, "eyond the traditional "oundary of a
leader%follower dynamic. >urposeful ;eadership can e$ist within the mind, "ody and spirit of every
person who wants to do so. It is a state of "eing that informs the doing & where the leader allows the
reason why they lead to influence how they lead and not the other way around.
Conclusion
If we are to emphasise purpose and purposefulness, this represents a new paradigm in how we approach
leadership education and development. 's the ancient Tao of ;eadership advises us 5your influence
"egins with you and ripples outward. So "e sure that your influence is "oth potent and wholesome.6 '
contemporary interpretation of this in the conte$t of >urposeful ;eadership would take into consideration
the psychological state of the leader. ?oes the ;eader possess the psychological readiness, as well as the
necessary skills and competencies to lead1 This psychological readiness runs deeply "eyond cognitive
psychology to a level where important !uestions of our personal and collective e$istence and evolution
must "e considered. The >urposeful ;eader must (ourney inward to the inner most kernel of his or her
own psyche to find their eli$ir, their gift, to pass on in the "etterment of the people and our planet.