Owen - Myths of leadership: banish the misconceptions and become a great leader

Myths of Leadership

Myths of Leadership

Banish the misconceptions and become a great leader

Jo Owen

Publishers note

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.

First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2018 by Kogan Page Limited

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:

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www.koganpage.com

Jo Owen, 2018

The right of Jo Owen to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 978 0 7494 8074 5

E-ISBN 978 0 7494 8075 2

Typeset by Integra Software Services, Pondicherry

Print production managed by Jellyfish

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

No one ever achieves anything alone, and that is most certainly true of writing a book. This book is based on 20 years of research and nearly 40 years of work with teams and leaders from organizations around the world. I have been able to learn from them all, and I hope that they have gained something in return. A few of the firms to which I am indebted are below, and my thanks go to all of them.

Accenture, Aegon, AIG, Airbus, ALICO, Allen & Overy, Ambition School Leadership, Amex, ANZ Bank, Apple, Ares & Co, Armstrong Industries, Arrowgrass, AstraZeneca, Aviva, BAML, Bank Indonesia, Barclays, BASF, BNY Mellon, British Council, Canon, Cap Gemini, Citi, CRU, Dentons, Deutsche Bank, Dow, EBRD, EDS, Education Development Trust, Electrolux, EW Payne, Facebook, Financial Times, Fujitsu, Google, The Groove, HCA, HERE, Hiscox Re, Hitachi, House, HSBC, IBM, Ito Chu, JAL, Laird, Mandarin Capital, MetLife, Mitsubishi Chemical, Mitsui OSK Lines, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Modern Tribe, Monsanto, Nationwide, Nokia, Nomura, Nordea, NRI, NTT, Opportunity Network, Pearson, PepsiCo, Philip Morris, Philips, P&G, Premier Foods, Qualcomm, RBS, RELX, Rentokil, Right to Succeed, Rolls Royce, SABIC, San Miguel, SDP, SECOM, Social Media, Spark Inside, Standard Chartered Bank, Start Up, STIR, SWIFT, Symantec, Teach First, Tetrapak, Tokyo Marine, UBS, Unilever, Vastari, Visa, World Bank, World Faith and Zurich Insurance.

I would in particular like to thank the magnificent team at Kogan Page, led by Helen Kogan. They have always been a joy to work with, and this was no exception. Unusually, the idea for this book came from Kogan Page, not from the author. My thanks to my editor, Anna Moss, for thinking of the idea and thinking that I might be the person to do it justice. I hope I have lived up to expectations.

Throughout this and many other books I have been more than ably supported by my long-time agent, Frances Kelly, who lets me focus on writing by looking after the things that I do not want to look after.

Finally, my eternal thanks to my wife, Hiromi, who regularly becomes a book widow for long periods when I am engrossed in writing obsessively. Her patience and support is remarkable.

One theme of this book is that no leader is perfect. The same is true of authors and books: there is no such thing as perfection. Success is always a team effort, but any mistakes are the authors alone.

Why another book on leadership when there are already nearly 60,000 to choose from? The reason for this book is because there are so many books on leadership out there. They all have their theories which fight with each other for your attention. The result is not clarity, but chaos and confusion.

The purpose of this book is to help you find clarity amid the chaos. Myths of Leadership is your practical guide to all the myths, fads, theories and fantasies of leadership. It will help you sort out myth from reality and fact from fiction. If leadership is a journey, you need a map. This book is the map which will help you structure your journey and accelerate your path to success, if only by avoiding the many bear traps that exist on the way.

This book is unusual for three reasons:

1. It explores not one leadership idea, but over 50. It maps out the entire leadership landscape and highlights some of the traps, dead ends and short cuts you may encounter on your leadership journey.
2. It is based on three perspectives, whereas most books are based on just one:
   • Twenty years of original leadership research around the world in most industries and countries, as well as research with tribes around the world: truly original insights.
   • Forty years of leading, working with and working for great firms and leaders around the world who are recognized in the acknowledgements. In addition, I am a founder or co-founder of eight not-for-profit organizations with a collective turnover above 100 million annually. This means I respect the challenge of leadership in the real world.
   • Extensive secondary research, which is needed when investigating myths of leadership. I hope I will have spared you a lot of pain by removing the need for you to read so many books and articles on leadership. Where appropriate, this research is recognized in the endnotes.
3. It offers insight through questions, not answers. Many leadership books purport to have the secret of leadership, wrapped up in three easy steps for you to follow. But real insight does not come from being told something, even if it is true. Real insight comes from discovering something for yourself. So you can treat this book as your journey of discovery through the land of leadership myths. I hope you discover much that you can use and value.

Myths of Leadership does not just deal with myths; it deals with realities. It constantly compares the theory of the myth to the day-to-day reality of leadership. In doing so, it attempts to answer basic questions every leader faces on their journey:

• How do I know if I am really leading: what is a leader?
• Can I lead if I am not the boss?
• Do I need to be charismatic and inspirational to be a leader?
• Can I learn to lead, and if so how?
• Do I need to be visionary or have a vision?