Originally published March 8, 2006.
American business mythology seems to imagine each worker as some sort of pinstriped Sisyphus pushing their resume up the corporate ladder. Those that make it to the top of the ladder are revered as gods. Nobody seems to want to mention the Hades that meets those who fail to reach the top of the corporate ladder (though I suspect it’s not all that bad, especially for those who trade the corporate ladder for the pursuit of their own dreams).
But where are the leaders who will push entire teams to new heights, and all along the way offer praises for the successes of the team? Where are the leaders who embody a fierce devotion to the significance and development of others (not only themselves)? My sad sense is that MBA students are made more to fashion a brand of themselves and demonstrate their individual successes rather than seeking to build the successes of teams they work for and with.
While the design of business education may lend itself to this self-promotion, I currently feel this pressure most acutely from MBA information centers, MBA career advisory firms, and other sources that cater to the power-driven and power-hungry. I don’t want to be a leader who competes to differentiate myself from other individuals. I want to be a leader who builds teams that differentiate themselves from the norm, who rise to incredible challenges and conquer enormously complex challenges. At the end of the day, I’d rather hear praises for the teams I work with and build than personal praise for my role in that team.
In a culture of American individualism, where a company’s CEO may be given sole credit for the success (or failure) of an entire corporation, I often feel that my perspectives on team leadership are out of place. Am I too idealistic? Will American individualism crush the dream of team-oriented leadership? Is a massive reform possible to create opportunities for a new generation of team-builders, of humble giants looking to hoist others onto their shoulders and pave the way for success throughout the corporation and community?
Recent Comments