We don’t need another hero

Did you know that it’s the end of the road for the Alpha male corporate animal like legendary General Electric CEO Jack Welch?

There’s no place for a Caesar type figure in modern organisations. The manager who runs his department like a king and takes all decisions himself is now dead. Long live Post Heroic Leadership.

How can you spot a Post Heroic Leader?

Well, you probably see him much more than the T Rex who used to be in charge as he almost certainly practises MWA (or management by walking about). The post heroic leader likes to take the temperature of the organisation and what better way to do this than walking around and talking to people, finding out what they do and why they do it.

The new leader probably asks a lot of questions and tries to get to know the real you. Post heroic leaders like to find out what makes their team tick. You may even hear the new leader talking about emotional intelligence and how to create a lean organisation. He probably organises meetings through Facebook too.

But, above all, post heroic leaders show themselves in the language they use.

How to talk like a Post Heroic Leader?

This new type of leader likes to work together with his team and you can hear that if you listen carefully.

Favourite phrases of the new leader:

·  I can empathise with you.

·  I’d like to go around the room because everyone’s opinion matters.

·  So, talk to me.

·  Let’s work through this together.

·  What’s happening in your world? How can I help?

So are you a Post Heroic Leader or do you hope that Caesar lives on for a few more years?

Glossary

alpha male (n.) - an aggressive/dominant person

take the temperature of the team (phr.) - find out your team’s opinion

what makes someone tick (phr.)- the things that are important to someone

emotional intelligence (n.) - your ability to understand how other people feel

a lean organisation (n.) - creating maximum profit with minimum resources

empathise (v.) - to understand other peoples’ way of thinking 

work through a problem (v.phr.) - to find a solution

image from www.beautyangleshop.com