The Leaders We Need

CHAPTER 6

Leaders for Knowledge Work

THE LEADERS WE WANT are not always the leaders we need. This has been true throughout history, and the result of getting the leaders people want has sometimes been the fall of nations and collapse of companies. Remember that, despite warnings from the biblical judge Samuel, the Israelites wanted a king, got one, and were sorry later. And in our time, boards of directors have hired dominating, charismatic CEOs who turned out to be costly busts. People continue to elect inept and corrupt leaders. Some of these leaders have satisfied unconscious and irrational transferential needs. The bureaucratic social character has been drawn to father-figure leaders—tall, commanding, and confident. But Interactives want ...