Leadership Genius
The days of top-down authoritarian/dictatorial leadership are over. Today’s increasingly interconnected and diverse world call for a different leadership style - this new leadership not only permits but encourages empowerment, independence, experimentation, autonomy, passion, and the pursuit of excellence. It encourages the genius - the cornerstone of innovation and thus profitability - of the individuals who make up the organization.
Genius generally is recognized as exceptional creativity, originality, and intellectual ability. But, genius is more than that. Genius is the creative force inherent in each of us. It’s the source of our inspiration, our wisdom, our imagination, our passion, our creative spark. Genius thus is the innate, intense, irresistible, irrepressible, imperious impulse to CREATE and genius is the thirst to CONTRIBUTE.
In leadership, genius begins at the individual level. A leadership genius is a person who is exceptionally talented in his area of expertise and who is stubborn in his pursuit to bring excellence to the organization. A leadership genius is great at making things happen, but he knows that he cannot do it alone. He needs the support of the people who make up the organization - the managers, employees, and ultimately, the customers. People are a resource filled with creative possibilities and the brilliance to make them a reality. Genius, in other words, exists within each us and and jump started correctly can be the turbo charger of excellence and the key to competitive advantage.
At the collective level, leader genius bestows the team with a great generosity of spirit - freedom and permission to spark their own genius. A leader genius facilitates the process of employees creating and delivering their best by removing organizational barriers and bureaucratic obstacles and creates an environment in which they can thrive, be recognized, and compensated for their efforts. In addition, he inspires the team by cultivating excellence in the service of shared values and a mutual sense of purpose.
With this gift bestowed upon them, in keeping with Cialdini’s principle of reciprocity, the team, in turn, reciprocates by bringing forth a greater expression of themselves. They dig deep and unleash their own genius. This collective genius sustains and propels the organization to success.
