Saturday, October 4, 2008

Self - Orientation Model of Leadership - An alternative thought

Introduction
Well before I develop this model here, let me confess that I am writing it out as a bored individual who has been made to read up plenty of stuff in leadership since last three months and who found them all inefficient to explain and understand one individual whom I consider as an awesome leader - Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The trait theories are useless in explaining for Baba has all the traits identified and much more. The behavioral theories are of no use since we do not know the situation to predict the behavior and in Swami's case its highly complex. The situational theories were of little help since I never believe that situation determines a leader but a leader determines a situation. The latest fad - charismatic leadership is again of little value. Baba is charismatic but then what indeed is charishma? Is it not a way of doing things again - a part of behavioral group of theories? In my view charishma is just a subset of behaviors. All behaviors can quailify to be called as charismatic provided they have the right audience. But Baba appeals to all and evokes both kind of emotions and reactions in varieties of people -- positive and negative. So charishma fails too for it does not help distinguish the specific qualities that make people adore Him and hate Him. The same qualities do both the jobs.

So I percieve this as a gap in the literature for none of these theory is able to explain the leadership of such a personality as Sri Sathya Sai Baba. This is my attempt based on my experience and study of Him to devise a leadership model that explains His style of leadership. I name it The Self-Orientation Model Of Leadership.

The Theory
The primary thesis of this model is what I call a dynamic interchange between self-expansion and self-isolation. I define both the terms below.

Self-expansion
I define self expansion as an attribute that enables the leader to identify with the cognitive and affective state of his/her follower and hence make them feel one with him/her. In this state, the leader lives not for him/her, but for his/her followers. He/she completely identifies with the euphoria or suffering of the followers and sometimes may forget his/her own existence. The followers are nothing but an expanded being of the leader. For people who are unaware of Baba, may be comfortable connecting M.K.Gandhi while reading this. He practiced self-expansion religiously identifying himself with the rural population of India which was predominant pre-independence. Through self expansion he brought about a massive change in the image of the Congress party which was till then dominated by some individuals from elite class who had a misconception that their demands reflected the demands of the Indian people. 

Self-isolation
This attribute I define as the ability of the leader to isolate himself from being carried away by the emotions of his/her followers and maintaining his/her own identity. It may sound a bit out of place but I argue that this attribute is what helps leaders to sustain their influence. They do things not because followers want, but because they want. They are neither task centric or people centric but they are self-centric. It may not be confused with selfishness but rather may be understood as a sustained attempt to maintain one's own identity. In the mission of being people centric, often leaders become too mixed up in mundane crowd and lose their shine. These leaders who practice the self-orientation model, are neither people centric nor task centric. They do both simultaneously. They involve with the people to do the task and then they isolate themselves when the kill is being enjoyed. They are not party to it. 

This attribute of self-isolation is where many of the leaders failed or fail since:
1- Its human to enjoy the prize and be taken in by applause
2- They get involved with people too much to lose sight of further task. On the other hand a self-oriented leader is continuously on a plan for further conquests. He does not rest on laurels.

So its a continuous flip-flop between self expansion and self isolation and it is catalysed by a task or series of tasks. This flip flop helps such a leader to maintain his/her identity and hence sustained control and influence on his/her followers, since the later never lose sight of him/her that way. They never know what is coming next and they are always waiting while enjoying the present. Involvement in the present while hoping for the future are the characteristics of a follower of a self-oriented leader. This is why most often spiritual personalities are self-oriented leaders. This model I argue can be generalized to all spiritual leaders.

So can practice of this model make us spiritual? Thats another research question! Till then amen!




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