AS A leader you just cannot isolate yourself, you lose your ear for what is happening around you.
You cut yourself off from the kind of knowledge on which your life, as a leader, depends. Leadership depends on social exchange and interaction.
I am currently reading Robert Greene’s book, The 48 Laws of Power. This book is about the laws that govern power and how to attain it using strategies observed in powerful figures throughout history. I find some of Greene’s laws ruthless and unethical, and I am not surprised to learn this has been a much-requested book in American prison libraries. Then again, there are some stunning lessons in the book, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Greene’s 18th law of power says: “Do not build fortresses to protect yourself – isolation is dangerous”.
The type of leadership we witness these days really does make one cringe. There is absolutely no empathy, these so-called leaders have lost touch with what is happening on the ground. They have built and withdrawn into their castles; most are only interested in spotting threats and enemies. This is true in politics, but equally so in the workplace. Before you point fingers at others, what type of leadership are you exercising?
Leadership is a load to be shared; it is not so much about the leader. Leadership is about results and delivery, hence it needs to be people-centred.
Equally so, it is about appreciation of structures put in place to hold leadership to accountability. I read a wonderful quote: “A leader should recognise himself as a river feeding others and being fed by others in turn. A river which isolates itself, which feeds nothing and which nothing feeds will sooner or later start to stink or dry up”.
There is a reason we have subordinates, employees, co-workers, seniors, mentors or even family members. They are there to share the workload, the leadership responsibility, and to divulge knowledge and wisdom. Build relationships, reflect on the importance of teamwork and the benefits it provides. Isolation exposes you more than it protects you.
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