10 Taboos of Leadership

Leaders need to be honest about the taboos of their role.

The 10 taboos of leadership originates from a 2007 book by Anthony F. Smith called "The Taboos of Leadership: The 10 Secrets No One Will Tell You About Leaders and What They Really Think." The book and the idea of leadership taboos centers around a series of unspoken characteristics of leadership. These 10 ideas are practiced by all successful leaders but are never spoken about in public.

The Reality of Leadership

Leadership is not easily defined. Countless attempts have been made to produce checklists and formulas for the perfect leader, but these usually overlook the reality of being a leader. This concerns not only what leaders do, but also why they do it. Smith believes that leadership is a process and not a position; therefore leaders are driven individuals who work themselves into the position of leadership.

Charisma

Charisma plays an extremely important role in leadership. Those in a position to lead a company or a country need to be able to charm colleagues and opponents alike. Charisma is composed of elements both natural and honed. These include confidence, passion, vision, communication skills and empathy. One of the taboos is to admit that charisma matters in selecting a new CEO or party political leader.

Leaders Take Politics Seriously

Leaders do not play politics as a game of intrigue and machination but use politics as a necessary element of being a serious leader. Organizational politics are deeply woven into the fabric of businesses and mainstream management systems. Organizational politics define relationships, processes and performances. Serious leaders take politics seriously as a means to making their business dynamic as well as advancing their needs.

Women Are Better Leaders

Smith says that women are better leaders but believes men want power more and are more driven to do what it takes in order to get it. The taboos are admitting that women are better but also admitting they don't want leadership as much as men.

Double Standards

Double standards are where different principles are applied to similar situations. Logic or fairness assumes any one situation would lead to the same outcome for all people. In business, double standards are considered toxic in public but are also necessary. This relates to the pay and working hours of executives. Smith believes that as part of a capitalist society, American executives justify the double standard because of the wealth they create and the normalcy they give up in order to achieve it.

Nepotism

Nepotism is the appointment of friends and relatives to positions of power. Nepotism, also called favoritism, is a controversial, but common part of corporate politics. Many leaders decide who is best for a job by choosing people they know and trust, rather than by merit and a good resume.

Grooming a Successor

As well as running the business in a day-to-day fashion, leaders also realize they need to groom a successor. The main difficulty for leaders is the empowering of others beside themselves. It is relatively easy for a leader to grant himself powers, but it is a different story when looking beyond his tenure. Whether in politics or in business, a leader wants to groom a successor who will continue his policies and who will protect his legacy. At the same time, the leader has to realize he cannot control the successor once he has vacated power.

Work-Life Balance

Face time and work-life balance are important elements of leadership. They help define the outer appearance of the leader to her staff. Leaders can be driven individuals whose work is their lives. Some claim to have a good work-life balance, but at the same time claim to work nonstop. They set the standard for their entire corporate structure. However, while appearing to work hard, much of their work is taken up by business lunches and dinners, meetings and so on that may lead other people to argue it is all for appearances only.

Self-Interest

Self-interest is a natural part of a leader's climb up the ranks. Leaders will do what they need to in order to protect and advance themselves. However, leaders often do not like to see self-interest in their followers. They naturally want their followers to have their leader's interests at heart. According to Smith, ethics and principles are mere tools of leadership rather than guiding elements.

Lonely at the Top

Distance is an effective part of leadership, according to Smith. Leaders often work alone and use a self-imposed distance between them and staff to build up a sense of authority. Smith sees any discussion of loneliness as the ultimate taboo. Others believe that effective leaders need to be more team players than authoritarian figures. Loneliness can be attributed to a lack of trust in a CEO's staff as much as a desire to be effective.

References

• The Taboos of Leadership: 10 Taboos of Leadership Exposed
• Leadership Now: The One and Only Path to Becoming a Leader; Anthony F. Smith
• Mindconnection: Review of The Taboos of Leadership
• Alagse: Leadership and Organizational Politics
• "Psychology Today"; Why Women Make Better Leaders Than Men; Ronald E. Riggio; March 2010
• Business Management Daily: Lonely at the Top? No Way!; October 2008