On Leadership: Serious – Yes, Boring – No

I recently read an article by Joel Stein on the Harvard Business Review website titled, “Boringness: The Secret to Great Leadership.” Although the title is misleading, much of the content is insightful. He observes that the leaders he studied did not fixate on their charisma or their appearance. Instead, these leaders showed humility, stayed focused, were fair, and possessed strong listening skills. This indicates that they are genuine and authentic, not boring. I don’t understand why some people automatically assume these traits are mutually exclusive.

I discuss this in detail in my book, "Camelot, Inc." In the chapter titled “Dutiful versus Inspired Thinking,” I reject the false choice of either/or. One can be both tough and fair, as well as serious and interesting. My reaction to Mr. Stein’s HBR article title was similar to a particular line I read in T.H. White’s 'The Once and Future King." It was said of an aging King Arthur that he “had always been a dutiful thinker, never an inspired one.” In "Camelot, Inc.," I wrote:

“What was meant by this? Was this an insult? Is there an implication that dutiful thinking is inferior to creative thinking? A dutiful thinker is a habitual thinker, one who is always observing, searching for solutions, and attempting to anticipate the future.

Peter Drucker, the renowned management and leadership expert, wrote in the final chapter of his influential book, The Effective Executive: “What is being developed here, in other words, is leadership—not the leadership of brilliance and genius, to be sure, but the much more modest yet more enduring leadership of dedication, determination, and serious purpose.”

Those who persevere and tackle a problem until it becomes manageable deserve great credit. Carl von Clausewitz, the 19th-century Prussian general and father of modern military strategy, wrote in his epic "On War" that “if we were to ask what sort of intellect is most closely associated with military genius, observation and experience inform us that it is the analytical rather than the creative mind, the more all-encompassing than the narrowly focused mind, the cooler rather than the hot-tempered mind that we should more readily entrust in war with the well-being of our brothers and children, and the honor and safety of our country.”

I support a balanced approach to leadership – a one-dimensional personality is not the best recipe to influence others. While we should take our purpose seriously, we also need to generate sparks of interest. If we don't, no one will pay attention, no one will rally. In the end, there will be no one to lead.

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