More and more, far too many people aspire to positions of leadership for all the wrong reasons. They seek power and authority and personal dominance. They are into what academics call position power. The American Psychological Association (APA) Dictionary defines 'position power' as:
a capacity to influence others based on their acceptance that the influencer occupies a formal position in the organization or group that gives them the right to make decisions and to demand compliance. In other words, the power is associated with the position itself and is not dependent on the person in that position.
This is NOT leadership. I would argue that anytime someone uses their position, and only their position, to compel and/or mandate that something get done or that a certain direction be taken, they are not leading. Effective leaders who occupy a position of authority do not need to use their position to see that things get done. They use their influence that has been built over time through trust and respect (see my post from two days ago).
I believe that people who aspire to a position of authority simply to gain position power fall into one of two categories:
1) They are terribly insecure. For whatever reason, they have a deep seeded inferiority complex fueled by severe insecurities and a lack of self image and self worth. They need the position to validate their existence and are extremely threatened by anyone who dares to challenge them. They hide all of this under the cloak of the title. "Do it because I said so: I am the _________ (fill in the position title)." They either have chosen not to develop as a leader or are so deeply insecure that they truly believe that they cannot develop the skills that we know effective leaders possess.
2) They are blatantly Narcissistic. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is about them. They are what matters and the organization and its members are merely tools to be used to achieve personal gains. Sadly, we see this in every arena of leadership whether it's politics, business, education, coaching, ministry, etc. The first line in Rick Warren's #1 best selling book (all time sales are second only to the Holy Bible) A Purpose Driven Life is "It's not about you.". It is just the opposite for this type of person. It IS all about them. Everything revolves around them, and if you get in their way or cross their path, they are ruthless in chopping you down and doing everything in their power to destroy you.
Both of these cases lead to highly dysfunctional organizations. I have seen it over and over, both as an insider who suffered the pain of lack of leadership by both of these types and as an outside observer watching an organization impose from lack of leadership because of both of these types. The wrong person ascends to an organizational position that needs a committed strong leaders and the organization falters, the culture becomes toxic, the best and brightest leave, and those who remain withdraw and switch into survival mode. Eventually the organization implodes and either dissolves or takes years to recover. In either case, it is a blatant lack of effective leadership caused by a person gaining a position for all the wring reasons.
The truly effective leader is the antithesis of the person who seeks a title for position power.
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