The protagonist leader

The concept of work has changed and, as a result, has also changed what is expected of a leader. A clue: goes far beyond efficiency.

Organizations may even give you a position, but they cannot make you a leader. On the other hand, you can be a leader even without having a position. In the last decade, what is seen in organizations is a structure that tends to be less hierarchical and this is a scenario that enables leaders to emerge by example, influence and ability to perform. But after all, what is expected of a leader today?

First let’s think about how the individual’s relationship with work has changed. Until a while ago, work meant grief, sacrifice, suffering. It was believed that work should come before pleasure. The word work itself comes from the Latin tripalium – it means an instrument used to immobilize animals and also an instrument of torture. In the biblical conception, too, the work was a punishment given to Adam when expelled from Paradise: “With the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread.”

This thought was present for decades, and it was very common to hear a conversation like this one morning in a company:

– Wow, I need a coffee, I’m very tired because yesterday I worked until 22h…

– Only until 10pm? Because I left it was past 1pm.

In that context, saying “I am happy and happy at work” would be virtually grounds for dismissal for just cause.

With so many transformations that we go through, whether technological, social and political, the meaning and relationships of the individual with work have also changed.

For the generation that entered the market in the 2000s, pleasure and work went hand in hand. Work must be a source of pleasure, fulfillment and enjoyment. The individual must be there by choice, not by obligation. Like the concept of trade as being based on voluntary exchanges, working relationships are increasingly moving towards voluntary choices. In this sense, value is generated through purpose alignment.

Given this series of changes, what is expected of a 21st Century Leader?

In the recent past, we would say that a good leader would be an efficient leader. This is no longer true today. Efficiency has become a basic feature, it is the least expected of it. What will differentiate a leader will be his protagonism and
your ability to generate value.

Protagonists know that they are responsible for their inherent decisions and consequences. And it is those who take control of their lives, give up the “comfort” of falling prey to situations.

Your boss doesn’t understand you? Not forward chant the phrase: Oh life, oh heavens!… ”As the cartoon Hardy character!

Who does not position itself as protagonist necessarily ends up taking the place of victim.

For the victims, the situation is unchanging, the cause is lost, and as philosopher J. P. Sartre said: “Hell is the others.” The victims are filled with self-pity, and complain about how the world has treated them badly.

The protagonist, on the other hand, knows that things are his responsibility, takes the reins of his life, makes his decisions and mistakes. Normally, being a protagonist is more difficult, but there is no way to achieve anything without placing yourself as the driver of life itself.

In the past, there was a belief that the state would be responsible for providing the population with health, education and safety. The revolutions and innovations promoted by great leaders and enterprising individuals have shown us exactly the opposite. Entrepreneurial individuals have much greater capacity and efficiency than the state to solve problems, driven by both the spirit of cooperation and business growth.

Similarly, we can observe the relationship of the individual with the company, because to this day many believe that the company is responsible for the career and happiness of employees. The reality is that individuals are free to make their decisions, and as governors, directors, and protagonists of their lives and careers, they should not delegate responsibility for their career to the company (or the boss). A good leader will know not to treat his team with paternalism, but to encourage the empowerment and protagonism of his team.

There is no luck and no coincidence: the protagonists usually have high performance in their work environment. PHD in Psychology by Harvard Daniel Goleman has developed a study on the concept and elements of Emotional Intelligence, proving that teams with a leader with a high degree of self-awareness, self-control, motivation, empathy, and social ability are about 50% better than others. . Not surprisingly, the five elements of emotional intelligence raised by Goleman are the hallmarks of true protagonists.

In this context of more access to information and diminishing hierarchies, the leader has to behave in the most authentic way possible. And not just being an avatar that just reproduces expected behavior. The avatar of the employee, the leader, the subordinate, the entrepreneur, the father of the family… For every role there seems to be a kind of “primer”. The more we resort to the avatar, the less we are ourselves. And when we are representing, we are not existing.

Therefore, the protagonist leader goes beyond this primer. In the 21st century, the most successful individuals will be the authentic ones, who understand that their freedom brings responsibility, a high level of emotional intelligence, and who understand that they must generate value for their followers and their customers.

As Peter Drucker says, one of the greatest management gurus, a leader is someone who can make others follow him, and it is this skill that best describes him. The quality of leadership is not measured by its popularity, but by the results it can produce.
The protagonist leader leads by example. Leadership is not a matter of rank, privilege, title or money. It is a matter of responsibility.

Joseph Teperman, administrator, headhunter and speaker, and Clariana Marega, psychologist, are partners at INNITI

Published in the book “A small step towards freedom, 2015”