I am finding that the topic of leadership is an emotional one for people. I hear people telling stories about leadership that they have experienced or been subjected to that felt harmful, dictatorial, and basically life depleting. Some people have experienced leadership that was life changing for them…in positive, life affirming ways. As the stories are told, the emotions that were evoked in the past about leadership show up in the present discussions…the story that a person carries about leadership isn’t just a story.
I have been thinking a lot about this. Why is there so much emotion about the subject of leadership? Would more conversation about leadership help to release the emotions associated with leadership? I have been wondering about the impact on a person’s life if the leadership story is one of leadership as a misuse of power, or leadership as hard, or leadership as something to be avoided? I think the impact is a big one. What do you think?
