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Laddership
In his book: “The way of the leader”, Donald Krause presents the SPARKLE principles of leadership, where letter L, in specific, stands for “Laddership”.
This novel term was invented by the author to describe a situation where leadership is intertwined with laddership.
This means that the process of becoming a leader is like climbing a ladder with the help and support of others.
A great team makes a great leader
Where would a great leader stand without an equally great team?
A powerful leader relies on a strong team.
Of course, some people would argue that this also works the other way round, meaning that a leader himself or herself plays a key role in training an effective and efficient team and thus making it great.
However, even if we assume that leadership is an individual sport, like tennis, for example, a top tennis player needs a whole team of top professionals behind him or her, in order for him or her to be able to perform and compete at top level.
The same holds true for a high-caliber leader, and just like ball boys and ball girls play a small, but essential, part in the smooth running of a tennis match, team members with minor roles are also paramount to a leader’s success, although this may not be obvious.
Opportunity and time make a great leader
When it comes to successful leadership, factors such as opportunity and time tend to be overlooked and underplayed.
Neither leaders themselves nor other people in their organization nor any outsiders seem to take these factors into account, especially when one or more people are going to be held accountable, and praise and blame are going to be given.
Sources and further reading:
Book review: The way of the leader, by Donald G. Krause
The Self-Made Myth: All Business Leaders Had Help Along The Way
Why the Self-Made Entrepreneur Is a Myth