Musings on Leadership: The Question of Scale

I am blessed with opportunities to regularly observe leaders – some of whom are effective leaders and some of whom are ineffective leaders.  Here are some recent musings about what makes some leaders more effective than others.

The question of Leadership and Scale.  Are levels of leadership just a matter of scale?  Or, are there certain skill sets needed for certain levels of leadership? 

If the task of leadership is to accurately assess and respond to present threats and opportunities facing the group being led and to appropriately prepare for future threats and opportunities, can the effective leader of a small town be the effective leader of a state, or even of a nation?  Is leadership the same regardless of scale? 

The task of leadership (being willing and able to accurately assess and respond to present threats and opportunities and to appropriately prepare for future threats and opportunities) and even the essence of leadership (character and competence) may remain the same across scale.  However, the effectiveness of leadership also depends on the leader’s ability to function well within a particular leadership context (Start-Up, Turn-around, or Realignment situation; volunteer or paid workforce; etc.).  The needed abilities of effective leaders can differ significantly across scale.  The challenge of scale is that it demands a corresponding capacity to respond effectively in a unique context. 

Can the effective leader of a small town be the effective leader of a state?  It is possible, as long as the leader is able to competently perform the task of leadership, appropriately reflect the essence of leadership, and perhaps most challenging, obviously thrive in the context of leadership.  Effective leaders do all three.

For more on leadership, see  Who’s Got Your Back? Leadership Lessons from the Life of King David (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2014) and Who's By Your Side? More Leadership Lessons from the Life of King David (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2016).