Most of the research on leadership emphasizes the same two items – the peripherial aspects and the content of leadership – and almost none has been aimed at understanding the essential nature of what leadership is, the process whereby leaders and followers relate to one another to achieve a purpose.
Leadership is said to be the one of the most observed and least understood phenomena onn earth.
Something else that I find interesting and talked about in various circles is the notion of cross pollination of information. How do some of the community organization emerge to higher levels of work. How can the successes be replicated?
Yesterday at the Bob Bullock Museum people from ministries and organizations came together to learn about one another. Lisa Benford of Lisa’s Hope Chest, one of Austin’s treasure organizations, remarked in an article in the Austin-American Statesman how good it was to have the opportunity to see in one place who some of her potential partners are. Not in cyberland but face-to-face interactions.
Leader/social entrepreneur…
Don’t know if you’ll find these two resources useful.
One is the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The fall 2006 issue included an article by Paul Light, “Re-shaping social entrepreneurship.” You can get pdf and htm versions here. He makes the point that those discussing leaders and leadership often fall into the personality trap. The focus is too much on the personality of the individual and not on individual in the context of other important factors.
The other sources is the PBS piece on New Heroes. It’s about social entrepreneurs. While it has the personality cult flaw that Light cautions, it highlights rather simple solutions to real problems.
Wonder why its so difficult to get simple solution in place and operating? A personality might add something to the mix, but what?