The Psychology of Leadership
By Wayne Watters
If, one day, your children asked you what a leader is, how would you respond? In a period of time where our nation’s leadership has changed and where our work force struggles with new leadership design to account for a remote workforce, we each must ask ourselves, what leadership traits do I project? Am I a quality leader?
Interestingly, the answer that your child is probably expecting is some version of the autocratic leadership style. A leader is typically the boss, the one making decisions. They give orders, and they expect adherence to those instructions. This leader is responsible for everything that happens in their organization, and they will be held accountable, in turn, by the people to whom they are responsible. An effective leader needs to be able to demonstrate that they are in control of events, that good things are happening, and adverse outcomes are being prevented because of the actions they have taken and the processes they have put in place. This leads to a very natural temptation to tell people what to do and what not to do so that we keep that vital element of control.
It is also the case that there are occasions when any leader has to make difficult decisions and implement unpopular courses of action. It is tough to do this without being something of an autocrat. Perhaps the defining aspect of a truly autocratic leader is their lack of consultation. He or she doesn’t consult with the organization at large or even with their senior advisors in order to gather other opinions or gauge the mood of the organization before they make their decisions.
A good example might be former President Donald Trump. Whatever you may think of his political or executive stance, Trump’s leadership style was very autocratic. He chose not to consult with the team around him and appeared resistant to briefings. He made decisions based on what his instinct told him was the right course of action and left it to his team to implement those decisions.
It’s natural to turn to the obvious alternative when deciding that an autocratic approach might not be for you, which is some form of democratic leadership. When I bring this up, you might imagine Democracy in your mind, and this sounds like the right route to go — because we’re Americans, and we all believe in democracy. So, we are instinctively well-disposed to some form of the democratic process. We elect leaders and give them our mandate to make decisions on our behalf, rather than putting individual decisions to a vote. Even in our elective democracies, we understand that it is essential to put decision making in the hands of one well-qualified individual. The reassuring thing is that democracy holds those individuals accountable, and we can remove them at the next election if they perform poorly.
We can empower and enable our teams via some form of democratic leadership, where everyone feels involved and the leader’s role is more one of an enabler. The leader delegates tasks and responsibilities to others and encourages a real sense of responsibility for these entrusted objectives. This leadership style needs a lot of communication to make sure that everything is staying on track. Still, when things do go well, people become self-motivated and get a great deal more satisfaction and fulfillment from their roles. Ultimately, however, the final accountability still rests on the leader, who has to manage their teams so that this delegated and empowered way of operating delivers the results that are needed.
A good example of this kind of democratic leader is John F Kennedy. Kennedy had a real talent for harnessing the abilities of the people around him and putting them to the best use. Kennedy used his energy, charm, and intellect to maintain a close relationship with those around him to hold the whole enterprise together. He also liked to keep as many options as possible open for as long as possible and to avoid closing down any one avenue of debate too early in the decision-making process. Kennedy’s organizational structure has been described as being more like the spokes of a wheel, or an extended family, than a strict hierarchy.
The point is not to reach a definitive philosophical position on leadership but to think a bit more deeply about some key issues and our own personal leadership styles. Generally, there is consensus on the fact that it is harder than it may seem to establish any kind of full-throated democracy at the workplace, even when desired. There are many operations where democratic decision-making is an unrealistic model: a nuclear power plant or onboard a warship, for example.
Leadership styles are not static and are often dictated by circumstance. True leadership involves adaptability and the understanding of changing variables, as well as the psychology that empowers workplaces, families, communities and even nations to thrive.
In the Hold My Drink Podcast — navigating the news and politics with a chaser of civility — Episode 15, The Psychology of Leadership — co-host Wayne Watters, author of The Psychology of Leadership, discusses the various forms of leadership and how leadership impacts our democracy, communities and personal relationships. In the end, we are all better leaders when we lean into our differences and vulnerabilities with a dose of humility. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course, and a beer.
Hold My Drink welcomes all people with all kinds of beverages to join us as we discuss what it takes to imagine a new American identity, together.
Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch the conversation unfold on YouTube, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
What Wayne is Reading
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey
This is Day One: A Practical Guide to Leadership That Matters, Drew Dudley
Debit of Honor, Tom Clancy
What Jen is Reading
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, Brene Brown
How to Have Impossible Conversations, Peter Boghossian & James Lindsay
Wayne is the author of The Psychology of Leadership. He’s a graduate of UT El Paso and a former credit union CEO. He began his career in financial services in 1997 and made the jump to credit unions in 1998. Most recently, Wayne served Austin based Travis County CU as their CEO from 2011 to 2019 before making the move to Waypoint where he now assists credit union nationwide. His excellence has been demonstrated in compliance, improving internal processes and controls, leadership development, and customer engagement.
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