Are leaders born or made? They're born, then un-made.

During work hours, we at Fouroboros Worldwide dabble in the dodgy business of advising poobahs on strategy and what-not. It gives us great opportunity to do what everyone has dreamed of at one time or another: Tell somebody in charge they're full of crap--but with a smile, naturally. We also get to make lots of cool charts like this:


...And create neato processes that save money or create money and/or get people to stop wringing each other's necks. Kinda like this...


But you know what? That's all comfort-food and left-brain permission for business people to do what they know they need to, but are somehow scared of: get out of their own way...

The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers, James M. Citrin and Richard A. Smith

Benevolent Leadership
Extraordinary leaders do not necessarily have to claw their way to the top — they are carried there

Just take a look in the business section of any bookstore and you'll find reinforcing titles such as Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive. Those who've battled their way to the top, therefore, must be the most aggressive, self-centered type of people, right?

Not necessarily. Happily, the facts show that the most successful individuals populating the top rung of the corporate ladder are more often those who can attract top talent and inspire them to exceptional levels of performance.

Are benevolent-leader CEOs more competent? There is certainly no evidence to support this. Yet, looking beyond some of the highly visible CEOs to mainstream executive leaders, research clearly indicates that benevolent leadership has a direct, positive impact on success.

Why is this the case?

The answer lies not in the ability of the CEO per se, but rather in the environment that this style of leadership generates within an organization and the resulting effect it has on the performance of team members. It is the creation of this type of organizational environment, we have found, that is consistently linked to superior long-term performance for these executives and their companies. Quite simply, benevolent leaders achieve advantage by creating an environment where the very best performers want and even seek to work, will perform at peak levels, and will remain loyal. In turn, the leader successful in creating this environment is rewarded by the performance of those working with him.

Good stuff. But if everybody's talking about the importance of evolving workplaces and innovation and merit and stuff, how do you convincingly communicate that they matter to you without feeling like Stuart Smalley or Tony Robbins? Simple. Sometimes you just have to get Medieval on the office furniture. Much more effective than Casual Friday or "empowerment" sessions.