Positional leadership

 People who rely on position for their leadership place high value on holding on to their position.

Positional leaders often see subordinates as an annoyance, as interchangeable cogs in the organisation machine or even as troublesome obstacles to their goal of getting a promotion to their next position. As a result departments, teams or organisations that have positional leaders suffer terrible morale.

Often to make themselves look better or to keep people from rising up and threatening them positional leaders make other people small.

How?

By not believing them

By seeing problems more readily than potential 

By viewing them as liabilities instead of assets

They don’t recognize that as leaders they must bring together their vision and aspirations of their people in a way that benefits everyone.

When leaders value position over the ability to influence others the environment of the organisation usually becomes very political.

Positional leaders focus on control instead of contribution. They work to gain titles.

It does creates a vicious cycle of gamesmanship, posturing and manoeuvring and it also creates departmental rivalries and silos.

They desire to feel important and have authority and take every Opportunity to let people know they are in charge. They want people to acknowledge them.

These leaders create a negative environment because they are insecure and easily threatened. Whenever they see people with potential starting to climb, it worries them. As a result they undermine people who show talent trying to guard their position and keep themselves clearly above and ahead of anyone else.

Real leaders have ability to handle any situation. Their focus is on their responsibility to serve their people and not demanding respect or receiving rights because of their position. Changing focus from rights to responsibility is often sign of maturity in a leader.

As said by TS Eliot Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important.

Abraham Lincoln once said nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

Look at any team that has achieved great success and you will find that it has strong leadership.

John C Maxwell