Leadership as a concept and an activity can be harmed by attempts to contain it. The best leaders are necessarily creative, and, as such, we ought to exercise extreme caution in applying any rigid definition to leadership. We cannot idealize the revolutionary nature of a leader whilst simultaneously criticizing that which does not appear natural, ordinal, or previously referential. No map is sufficient in elaborating the critical, fine details of leadership. Judgment of success, for leadership, should be an evaluation of achievement. Remember, models are secondary to raw data. Therefore, we must not impose the undue rigidity of said models onto the finicky, volatile activity of leadership.
Leadership is successful when it enables accomplishment of a goal in spite of several spiraling variables. Leadership is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. Do not reverse these. Perhaps leadership can be best imagined like a whiteboard: that which is easily editable and erasable, in order to support action under opaque conditions, whereas a whiteboard is characterized by the permanence of the “sketch”: a constant draft, note, or brainstorm.
Consider the following while analyzing leadership or forming a team.
How is the team organized?
Have knowledge of the leader: How did they become the leader? Is there a need for a leader at all? Are there multiple leaders? Are they arranged in hierarchical fashion? Is the leader working alongside the team?
What is to be accomplished?
Define the goal in clear terms, and make sure that each member is aware of the goal. Teams can be of varying sizes, from cascading mega-corporations, to duos. You can shuffle through the usual interrogatives (Who, what, when, where, why, how?) Spend additional time on the “why”.
What else is important to know for your specific situation?
This point is intentionally vague. No two sets of conditions are ever alike, yet you must make the best decision regardless.
The ordering of the above points is intentional. Uniform clarity between team members should be set before goals are established. It’s difficult to produce wonderful results in the absence of a wonderful foundation. Only a weak tree can grow in tarnished soil.
A beautiful goal without an effective team will never come to fruition. However, a beautiful team will usually achieve wonderful things as a byproduct of their synergy. Teamwork scales non-linearly. Adding just one more person to a team, in some cases, can cause huge rewards. It can also cause huge downsides.
The qualitative, in this respect, far outweighs the quantitative. You’ll see this everywhere: the adage of chefs in a kitchen, the lean development approach in software engineering, the stock character of the tortured genius, or that of the lone artist. Some goals don’t require a team at all.
Adding additional writers to a piece ensures the soul is lost. However, a writer working in synergy with a literary agent could ensure that they both eat. Do not walk across a dark bridge. Instead, be the architect, balanced on your creaky scaffolding, unknowing of your destination. Do your best, as a leader, to allow the team to remain in balance as well. Remain in inquiry, but do not hesitate to make changes, so long as they are effective.
Reconciling with the differences between team members can be a difficult task: a gap too wide disables communication, but a gap too narrow discourages innovation and risks creating an echo chamber.
In a team where decisions are made democratically, having members with similar values and goals can hasten the decision making process. If your organization more closely resembles a dictatorship, having similar goals and values allows for higher trust and accuracy in carrying out plans.
In both scenarios, having a shared set of values – stemming solely internally – lead to completion of better work. As values are largely inherent and difficult to change, it is worthwhile to invest a seemingly disproportionate amount of time in building and choosing the members of your team. Relatedly, you can get a better approximation of a person's character, not through what they say, but by who they’ve married.
This is not to say you should only work with people like you. Uniformity of ideas can be a pitfall just as disarray can. The solution, therefore, is to have a team full of unique thinkers (who are like you, in that they are unique), and individuals who are willing to objectively evaluate new ideas. With this, you can take the positives of both camps and while negating the downside.
Of course, this is reliant on the fact that you already have wise motivation and technical skill. As with all relationships, quality is improved by depth. In all aspects, be constantly improving yourself, as it improves your teammates, which in turn improves you. This circularity is the seedling of the briefly mentioned non-linearity of teamwork, which is why it is so valuable to study and enact. You can achieve much more while effective together than effective alone, although the former is contingent on the latter.
Some form of failure and demoralization is inevitable. Therefore, it is best to value curiosity, consistency, and tenacity instead of notions of “talent” or previous success. A person’s success is dependent on their ability to contend with boredom. Cultivate these traits within yourself. To do so is to place bets with asymmetrical returns.
It could be useful to know of traditional models of leadership if only to have a vocabulary to identify, compliment, or criticize a certain action. But again, if you retain anything from this article, be it that these models should only be used referentially, often in post-mortem, never in the midst of action. In action, do only what is best. Avoid seeming.
This statement is not put forth to denounce studiousness. You should spend time understanding advancements in your field, as to make use of established vocabulary and to learn from the mistakes of history and your peers. You should spend time with bright minds, absorbing information via primary sources (books & conversation) from individuals whom history has proven worthwhile. However, avoid the fallacy that recorded history is history, or that people around you have nothing to offer. There is more to go. Your job is to deal with the present.
The purpose of your studies should be to build new things. So, if your studies are getting in the way of your action, perhaps pause them for some time. Do not allow yourself any “testable hypotheses”, instead, simply, have tests and results. Similarly, do not self-impose unjust limitations in your education. There are many worthwhile forms of learning, although they often remain unrecognized. There are, similarly, many activities perfect for feeling effective, but fewer for being effective. Notice this distinction, and make better choices, accordingly. Need the absent parent read a book about childcare when they have not first simply been with their child?
Avoid situations where you are unfit to lead. The best position to be is that of reluctancy. Lead by necessity, in order to achieve just ends, never for “love” of leading, or that power-hungry, Machiavellian, insatiability. Your job, as a leader or as a follower, is the pursuit of quality and dignity. Do not allow yourself to be scummy or disgusting.
The US Army has a quote about leadership: “Lead, follow, or get out.” The third option is likely that which is most underutilized. If you find yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable proceeding with the first two options, look elsewhere. Building something you find personally fulfilling is another valid solution, and, counterintuitively, it is often an easier path than being within the “belly of the beast”.
Leadership is a risky endeavor due to the inherent elusivity of the task. And yet, the payoffs can cascade through history. Cultivate a taste for first-order experience, confidence in execution, and personal risk. Complete risk aversion only solidifies the certainty of the consequences you seek to avoid. Only by partaking in a gambit do you have the chance to produce wonderful results. And isn’t that what you want?