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Drifting

June 25, 2002

"Many highly capable individuals have drifted into leadership roles.  Organizational currents carry them upward, so that they arrive at leadership without ever having taken charge of their choices.  A gap then arises between who they are as people and who they are as leaders.

Often the basic problem is that an executive position turns out to be primarily a position of leadership, rather than of the kinds of technical skills that played a determining role in elevating an individual into the position.  Yet the personal implications of this difference may not be acknowledged.  The result, quite often, is that even successful managers and executives grow uncertain.  This causes a draining loss of effectiveness and a corresponding loss of commitment to career and organization.

The problem is real.  Failing to address it can be destructive not only to yourself but also to your family, your organization, and your co-workers.  It is a waste of your good talent, energies, and company resources if you are leading by rote, all the while experiencing an indefinable malaise that stands in the way of full commitment to career and organization (Lee & King, 2001, pp. 5-6)."

Reference:  Lee, R. J., & King, S.N., (2001).  Discovering the leader in you: a guide to realizing your personal leadership potential.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Did you drift into your current leadership position?

Discovering the Leader in You is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

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Created: 2008-12-13, Updated: 2009-01-06