10/25/2019

Leadership Types You Want to Avoid

Seven ways you’re leading like a caricature

I can remember high school committees. Never on the prom committee, I stuck to Amnesty International, World Affairs, and other clubs that would make my college application rise to the top. Now, as an adult, I can laugh when I see the way student leaders are mirrored so clearly on the big and small screen.

A few months ago, I watched a high school dance committee in action as a supportive parent from the sidelines. It was like the movie Election crossed with Clueless with a dash of Mean Girls thrown in for good measure. They were living caricatures from iconic teen movies IRL. It was a sociologist’s dream. Unfortunately, it was their life and the ripples, no, tsunamis that followed each meeting left hurt feelings and ended friendships in their wake. Luckily, my child escaped the worst of it.

Few people are exceptional leaders out of the gate. These teens were finding their way, yet as someone who studies leadership, it was painful to watch. Even more painful, there are many leaders inside of organizations today whose leadership skills never developed beyond these young leaders on the dance committee. It’s as if they were ripped out of a dark comedy. Too bad it isn’t funny to work for them or with them.

Please select this link to read the complete blog post from Break the Frame.