# The Unseen Role of a Leader By:: [[Steven Denman]] 2023-06-26 Edwin Friedman's book, a Failure of Nerve, has a fascinating insight into leadership (across all domains) in our culture. The book is a compilation of his writings posthumously, and one can only wonder what additional morsels could have been developed if he had distilled the work himself. One of the building blocks of his perspective is that there are "powerful universal and instinctual emotional processes operating underneath all organizations" that animate structure, communication, leadership, and motivation. He argues that in an organization, like a family, there is a mysterious impact from the presence and commitment of leaders that go beyond the methods they employ. Think of a stable grandparent who has invested consistently in a family over the years; their impact on the family dynamic is independent of their methodological approach and research into loving their family... it is hard to define, but the metaphor used of 'anchor' demonstrates its reality. A variety of diagnostic questions are raised to assess the more fundamental impact of our leadership: - Do you have the nerve to stand for what is good despite criticism or resistance to change? - Does your organization help others grow or just help others feel understood? (think about the relationship between empathy and responsibility in your emphasis) - Are you abdicating as the leader by over-dependence on data and research when stepping out decisively is needed? #### Related Items [[Leadership]] [[Insights]] [[Organization]] [[Change]] [[Development]] [[Decision-making]]