The Leadership Illusion: The Importance of Context and Connection

Citation

Austin, A. (2010), "The Leadership Illusion: The Importance of Context and Connection", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 564-565. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011070041

From Julius Caesar to Winston Churchill to Barack Obama, the Western world has traditionally and fairly consistently explained leadership as an either/or puzzle: it is either a set of enduring personal traits and behaviors specific to the individual, or conversely it is the situation and context that formed the leader – but never both together. The authors of The Leadership Illusion explore this phenomenon of how we understand leadership as a both/and proposition: viewing leadership as it arises from the setting and context in which the leader acts, as well as composed of the connections and networks between people as initiated, viewed and incorporated by the leader.

The book is organized into eight chapters that flow from the current views of leadership as mostly a charisma laden practice, to setting the stage for leadership as networks and social capital, and finally on to exploring how leadership development needs to and is changing to accommodate the context and connections necessary for leaders today.

Authors Hall and Janman put forth a humble yet knowledgeable tone in this book. They concede that this book will not be the literary version of sliced bread. Yet, it is clear they have thoughtfully considered the changing needs of leadership and leadership development in an ever more complex and globally interconnected world.

With a sophisticated look at recent studies and interpretations of experts, a penchant for metaphor and practical examples, and a folksy, first person storytelling approach, the authors bring forth a convincing promise for improved leadership with interpersonal connections and increased social capital based on bridging and bonding between individuals and groups.

One potentially controversial prediction the authors make is that the future of leadership is female. They build their case from the work of a geneticist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a modern renaissance woman who fulfills the roles of academic, broadcaster and government advisor. Each expert speaks from his or her own area of expertise on the differences between men and women and which attributes are needed most in the world of instant internet. This sounds a bit like the criticism the authors heap on current writers in leadership – namely that the personal attributes of the individual accounts for the outcomes. However, they go on to describe how whether it is men or women doing the action, the leadership behaviors needed now and in the future include empathizing, synthesis, and “web thinking”.

Hall and Janman have devised a three‐component approach to “network leadership” as they have termed this new brand of leadership. These components include cognitive flexibility, network excellence, and strategic resilience. While these sound like specific outcome‐based competencies – and they are to an extent – they are really about not only the abilities to reduce something complex to be understood by anyone, to achieve concrete outcomes and to think strategically while at the same time using the ability to connect with others through warmth and empathy, and to engage ourselves and others in aspiring to more than believed possible and to make the undesirable, namely the difficult work of achieving change – desirable.

Another way to look at it is that this book is advocating the development of skills that are exactly opposite to those competencies taught in most business schools. Working to become more objective will not in itself create better leaders. Using cognitive flexibility and strategic resilience means to understand both the numbers and how people act and react.

This is a guide for leaders and leadership development practitioners alike. It is a very engaging, topical and timely book. Because of frequent references to current day events such as the worldwide economic collapse and Steve Job's actions as CEO of Apple, this book may seem quite dated in a short period of time. Do not be put off. There is a great reservoir of lasting advice contained here that will be relevant for some time to come.