Like the Sage on Stage approach to teaching, the Colonel on Horse approach to leadership views everyone else as passive recipients and benefactors of the omniscient and omnipotent one. Even if the Colonel has a good idea of where he or she is going - which is an assumption - everyone else will simply tread the exact same path and end up in the exact same place. Groupthink. Lemmings. Et cetera.
When I work with others, I put forth significant effort to be mindful of judgment. Judgment in and of itself is not necessarily problematic; in fact, it is necessary. Problems arise when we assume that our judgment is descriptive of an objective world, one that appears exactly the same to everyone else. I tend to agree with the postmodernist idea that an objective world may well exist, but we can only know through conditions of its emergence. For example, the wavelength of light that appears as a blue sky can be descriptively measured, but how we understand and make meaning of that appearance emerges through our language, emotions, culture, sensory receptors, and so on. Do we know, then, that the blue sky appears the same to all of us? Who is right?
Such a problematization of objective judgment is a problematization of the Colonel on Horse. Due to the objective and subjective divergences that exist on a team of individuals, it is an inefficient allusion laced with missed opportunity and egoism to have everyone else get in line and follow the leader.
Thus, I prefer the concept of organic leadership: cultivating ecosystems that produce a flourishing and vibrant community, concomitantly guiding diverse emergent energy toward a shared vision of success.
In this direction, I ascribe to three guiding tenets.
1. Create a culture of positivity. Your work environment is a cauldron of inspiration, where each individual realizes the significance and meaning of their contributions to the team's vision of success. Productivity is a corollary of fun and excitement. Be fresh air. Be sunshine. Create a vision to respond to the age-old question: Why does any of this matter?
2. Balance structure with autonomy. Each individual benefits from different levels of guidance and independence, often at different times in different stages of evolution within different responsibilities. Listen attentively to your teammates to find the sweet spot and support right balance. Sometimes you may need to be the Colonel on Horse, but other times you need to simply get out of the way!
3. Pursue open communication built on authentic relationships. Be curious about other people's thoughts and ideas and happenings. In an ecological world, all is interconnected and relational. Communicate honestly yet kindly through both the clear days and the stormy nights.
