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Article: On being a leader: old rules vs. new rules; Think leadership means being an all-knowing deity who rules with an intimidating iron hand? Think again.(LEADERSHIP)
- Article from:
- Directors & Boards
- Article date:
- September 22, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Directors and Boards. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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UNDER THE OLD RULES of leadership, the idea of building a consensus for action was considered to be time-consuming and soft. Consensus was "nice," but it was not something that needed to be achieved. The assumption was that by the definition of leadership, leaders needed to make all the important decisions. Many feared: If the leader was not needed to make all the decisions then why do we need a leader? This attitude was a variation of the theory that the only way to be powerful is to hold all the power for oneself.
In reality, this is a sign of failed leadership. It is one thing to have the power to make all the recommendations and decisions. It is quite another ...