“Today, when leadership is discussed, we usually purport to be discussing what leaders do, rather than what they say, as if this were a more clear-eyed approach. The truth is that when we look closely, we see leadership as much in what our leaders symbolize as in what they accomplish. 

Whatever the case, our obsession with leadership seems to be constant, if not growing.

The mythology of leadership, however, will be a growing source of frustration if we don’t come to some more clear-eyed sense about why this is so and why it matters to us.”

A quote from ‘Leaders; Myth and Reality’ a cornerstone as we discuss Leadership Myths.

What about Leadership Myths?

We wrongly believe that what happened in one leadership instance can be replicated in another. This leads to the three myths, which helps us navigate the understanding of leadership.

The first of the three is the “Formulaic Myth.”

* Ignoring the reality that leadership is contextual, we feel that leaders stick to a strict checklist, leading to success.

The Second is The “Attribution Myth”

* When we view leaders in hindsight we see that their vision or mission can far outweigh those that surround the leader themselves.

Third Leadership Myth: Results Myth

* Delivering results is all that's required for positions of power and accolades

About Tory Lindley

Tory has been a guest on the SMB during his presidential bid, at Convention in New Orleans, Discussing Strategic Alliance, and recently with Alisha Pennington in Las Vegas

2011 Hall of Fame inductee into Illinois ATA

Published over a dozen times

GLATA Awards – Golden Pinnacle

Head AT of the year

Tory and his wife Beth have three children: Jonah, Evan and Genevieve and a dog, Myles (Tory’s morning running partner).

Is the “Formulaic Myth” is effective in leading others?

Neither John nor Tory believes this method produces good consistent leadership. Tory feels the opposite is true for him.

Leadership needs to be based on the people group and the topic.

Knowing your audience or followers is critical to the success of leaders. The leader is believed to be only marginally more important than the quality of the followers.

What is Leadership Culture?

Tory does not like to use the word “culture” because it is often not clearly defined. Instead, he talks about the environment you create around you.

It is essentially the same concept but with clearly defined actionable steps to improve and grow the team.

Define What You Value

Does your “culture” define what you value?

Does it reward and celebrate achievement?

Is it clear?