Is Leadership Ineffable?

A subject to which I probably do not recur frequently enough is the thorny one of "Leadership."  Partly why—I hope by way of explanation and not excuse—is that it's perhaps more difficult to say something intelligent about leadership than any other important issue in the management canon.  It's tempting to say leadership is one of those "I know it when I see it" issues, and to let it drop.

That's not good enough.

For starters, it's safe to say that a firm can get absolutely everything that matters right—strategy, financial controls, astute practice group management, enlightened and energetic professional development, savvy and credible market positioning, etc.—and if weak or uninspiring leaders are at the helm, the firm will still face a competitive hosing.  Conversely, inspired and visionary leadership can take an also-ran to the first tier.  So what more can we say about "leadership?"

The most consistently smart and insightful person writing about leadership, to me, is Warren Bennis, who is Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California as well as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's Kennedy School.  I've read and re-read his classic, "On Becoming a Leader," and given copies to many friends and colleagues (and I hereby commend it to you, as well). 

Bennis' latest column at CIO Insight is the best—make that the only—commentary on Larry Summers' recent self-inflicted wounds about women-in-science that is not only not shrill, but actually insightful.  Bennis asks, simply, how a strong leader like Summers could go so wrong?  Bennis comes from the perspective of "liking and admiring" Summers, and adds that he believes Summers "has the potential to be one of Harvard's great presidents."  But the essence of his column is here:

"Organizational leaders need to foster an environment of candor, in which everyone feels free to speak, and they cannot create such an atmosphere if they are endlessly confrontational. Being able to win a debate is a much less valuable skill for a leader than being able to listen deeply. And leaders who want to be change agents must remember that vision is only the beginning. They also must have the will and the patience to build coalitions for change. When leaders have to make controversial decisions, they can't be sure that everyone will agree. But leaders can behave in ways that don't escalate tensions and make the opposition dig in their heels."

Furthermore, leaders need to understand they're no longer just one of the boys (or one of the faculty, in Summers' case). When they speak, it is, like it or not, ex cathedra. 

The farther we get from the somnolent environment of thirty years ago, when lateral partner mobility was nonexistent, clients were inherited from generation to generation, and "for services rendered" the only explanation required, the more essential it is for law firms to cultivate true leaders.  Difficult as it may be to make cogent observations about what it takes to produce such people, I can guarantee you that if your firm pretends it will all magically take care of itself you are setting yourself up to be passed by on the global playing field.