James Cameron - fearfully inspiring

Consider the advice handed out to a new leader by Machiavelli, the Fifteenth Century thinker and forensic political analyst: “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.”

A tad politically incorrect for today’s world? Apparently not, according to a recent piece by Harvard Business Working Knowledge editor Sean Silverthorne.

Passionate leadership does not necessarily involve being warm and cuddly.  For example, he cites James Cameron, director of the record-grossing Avatar,  known for his ability to inspire through fear. “Not a great trait you’d teach to MBAs,” Silverthorne concedes. He also points tothe leadership style of Steve Jobs. Both, says Silverthorne, “are stern taskmasters who demand the most of their employees, and occasionally cross the line to get it.”

A reminder that there will always be mavericks who shun conventional wisdom to produce surprising results.

While we are on this contrarian tack, a recent column by FT columnist and economist John Kay points out that popularity is not always consistent with effective leadership.

Today’s political leaders may set out to make themselves as transparent as possible by Tweeting and blogging, but this readiness to court popular appeal is a recent phenomenon. “It is  hard to imagine Gladstone or Lincoln on YouTube, and certainly not Attlee,” says Kay.

Nor did they have much regard for keeping abreast of popular opinion. Kay quotes an anecdote about Winston Churchill, the most admired of 20^th Century leaders. When an advisor recommended that Churchill should keep his ear close to the ground, he quipped that the public would find it hard to look up to someone who adopted that position.

Kay’s point is that what followers want from leaders are results and solutions to difficult problems that they either can’t or are unwilling to solve. Being popular is irrelevant.

Similarly, Jack ‘Neutron’ Welch was not everyone’s favourite CEO, but his focus on turning round General Electric’s fortunes whatever it took won out.

It may be tempting to look at the great leaders for inspiration. But a moment’s reflection will tell you that their achievements have to be seen in the context of particular problems and constraints as well as the cultural context in which they were working. The moral is that different situations demand different types of leaders.

Sources: FT 3^rd March 2010;

http://blogs.bnet.com/harvard/?p=5957&tag=nl.e713

David Harvey, Editor, HR Insights