Almost Nailed It
We love when we see neuroscience being applied to leadership. I mean, it’s kind of our thing. So, we were excited when a neuropsychologist wrote an article in Fast Company talking about this. While we agreed with some of what was written, here is our breakdown of why we think she came SO CLOSE to getting it right.
The Gist
Magnetic leaders motivate and inspire others, not because they are focused on pushing their teams, but instead because their focus is first on being motivated and inspired themselves. The author argues that by doing this the “right people” will follow willingly, which in-turn creates an environment of safety, authenticity, trust, and boundaries. In essence, "magnetic leadership" is where people follow a leader because they are naturally drawn to the leader’s authentic energy and shared mission, rather than being controlled or coerced. The author states that this is the most powerful form of leadership, as it most naturally aligns with how our brains operate. To demonstrate, she offers the example of two male executives who used magnetic leadership traits to achieve impressive results.
Our Take
What we liked
To start, the good. Highlighting that you can only really ever control yourself is Therapy 101, and excellent advice. Also, it’s refreshing to see a discussion focused on building leadership practices around how our brains naturally work - again, it’s kind of what we do. Finally, there is no denying that having people around you that WANT to be there and follow you, is the best position for a leader to be in.
What We Almost Liked
Leadership Style
First, this style of leadership is going to be strongly based on personality traits. Which means that while it is very likely an effective way to lead for some, for others it may feel like trying to wear a coat that’s too tight, which certainly won’t make anyone more effective. This fact isn’t discussed at all, instead the author presents this as most leadership advice is presented - as universally applicable, and the best approach, period.
Motivation
She talks a lot about “being motivated,” without offering specifics of what that looks like. It is easy to say that you should motivate yourself, but this isn’t just simple internal motivation she is advocating. This is motivation that must be experienced by those around you as energetic and inspiring. This certainly narrows what her definition might be, and leaves a very strong sense that “magnetic leadership” is a more insightful twist on traditional charismatic leadership. This is not an inherent flaw, but it does reduce the universality of this style, and continues to perpetuate the idea that only those with outgoing and more vocal personalities make the best leaders… which we both wholeheartedly disagree with.
Others Follow When You Lead Yourself?
To be honest, this is probably the most frustrating part of the article. Take the following statements
“Your job isn’t to motivate others. It’s to be motivated and trust that others will find you motivating”
“You must first be willing to show yourself—even at the risk of disappointing others.”
“When you lead yourself, the right people will follow.”
This type of advice is great… if, at the risk of being too blunt, you are a man in a C-Suite position. Everyone else reading the article however, runs the risk of being judged by different standards (e.g. behavior that is seen as confident in some is often perceived as bossy or arrogant in other demographics). This is not to say that people should change or hide their natural personalities when they take on leadership roles. It is just to caution that there is a lot of nuance and that the advice to be yourself works differently depending on who you are. Now, we agree that it is possible that our take on this author’s article is wrong, we just find it interesting that the two examples she used of magnetic leaders were both men in executive positions.
Takeaway
The reality is that, as in most things in life, there is no “one-size fits all” answer. This is especially true when it comes to leadership. Any article, book, lecture, ect… that tries to sell a particular leadership style, without also making that style’s limitations clear, is going to be missing at least half the picture. Understanding who you are, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and then matching that with leadership fundamentals in a way that feels natural, is a great place to start becoming the leader you want to be. Nuance can be hard, let’s help you make it easier. We’re pretty good at it.