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Leading is Teaching

April 5, 1999

"Teaching is at the heart of leading.  In fact, it is through teaching that leaders lead others.  Leading is not dictating specific behavior.  It is not issuing orders and commanding compliance.  Leading is getting others to see a situation as it really is and to understand what responses need to be taken so they will act in ways that will move the organization toward where it needs to be.  Whether it is teaching something as simple as what concrete tasks need to take precedence over others this week, or something as complex as how to make good decisions, teaching is how ideas and values get transmitted.  Therefore, in order to be a leader at any level of an organization, a person must be a teacher.  Simply put, if you aren't' teaching you aren't leading.

Leadership is about change, about taking an organization or a group of people from where they are now to where they need to be. And the best way to get humans to venture into unknown terrain is to make that terrain familiar and desirable by taking there first in their imaginations.  Winning leaders create and use future stories to help people break away from the familiar present and venture boldly ahead to create a better future.  They not only describe the future in terms that are personal and compelling, but they help others understand why and what they must do to get there.  Without being able to do that, would-be leaders never get the sustained effort required to move toward their goal (Tichy, 1997, pp. 57 & 174)."

Reference:  Tichy, N.M. (1997).  The leadership engine.  New York: HarperBusiness

* The Leadership Engine is available on loan at the OSU Leadership Center.  A listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

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Created: 2009-01-06, Updated: 2009-01-18