Leadership dates back to the beginning of humans, maybe 15,000 years or more. The number of years is not that important, but the concept and history following are very significant.
A study of ancient history to the present time yields the same result every time — those countries who have had strong and visionary leadership have a much higher survival and growth rate than those who had weak or poor leadership.
The same is true today for organizations of all sizes and types.
At the heart of leadership is the decision-making process. And the answer is often found by further research and probing — and sometimes simply by trial and error.
Developing a management style
While leadership dates back to ancient history, management as a “profession” dates back less than 200 years.
There are no specific credentials or certifications required for someone engaged in the practice of management. A person entering a management position for the first time usually tries several approaches based on past culture, mentoring and observance/experience in his or her past.
Over time a management style is developed. This should be combined with each person discovering his or her own leadership philosophy.
Management is what tradition used to call a liberal art. “Liberal” because it deals with the fundamentals of knowledge, self-knowledge, wisdom and leadership. “Art” because it is practice and application.
Managers draw on all the knowledge and insights of the humanities and the social sciences — on psychology, philosophy, economics and history, on the physical sciences and ethics. But, according to Peter Drucker of the Drucker Institute, they have to focus this knowledge to achieve effectiveness and results.
Assessing the situation
When you do face a leadership challenge, give careful thought to it. Make a list of your questions before seeking some answers. Here are some questions you might use — in order to look for clues:
- Is this about a person or persons? (psychology)
- Is this about a team or group? (sociology)
- Is this about someone’s belief system, values, connections? (philosophy)
- Is this about the space or place we find ourselves currently in? (geography)
- Has this happened before? Research the past. (history)
- Is the real issue about power? Who has it and who does not? (political science)
- Is the issue about money or other resources? (economics)
- Is it about the way we do things around here? Our culture? (anthropology)
- What does the data tell us. What are the hard facts? (mathematics)
- No matter the problem, usually communications is the culprit. (communications)
Once you’ve assessed the problem, you can research that specific humanity or social science, in order to seek inspirations to your dilemma and help you make the best decisions.
Richard A. Jacobs is a principal at The Rich Jacobs Management Institute. After nearly 35 years of supervising, managing and leading others, Richard decided to pursue mentoring, teaching and writing as a career. He has taught in the MBA program at Franklin University with his co-author, Charles Dygert. The two recently released their newest book “The 10 Disciplines of Leadership: The Ultimate Playbook of Success.”
