Shadow of the Leader
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Shadow of the Leader” is a phrase used to describe a common phenomenon in business organizations where those in positions of leadership and power, through their behaviour and actions, tend to influence the behaviour and actions of those below them, thus “casting a shadow” across the organization. “Shadow of the Leader” usually refers to the situation where the CEO or President (or anyone else in a position of authority over others), through his likes, dislikes, ways he treats subordinates, his language and idioms, personal preferences, beliefs and values tends to shape the characteristics, culture and ways of doing business in the organization.
It is not so much that leaders force their style and values on others (although this is the case with dictators and bullies), but that employees tend to look upwards for clues as to what is important, how to get ahead in the organization, and how to fit in. It is a natural tendency for people with limited power within organizations to have an “affiliation need” and want to fit in. Those that don’t match the culture or don’t get along with the boss’s standards and expectations tend to get rejected or leave the firm, often saying; “I just didn’t fit in with their way of doing business!”
The phenomenon of shadow of the leader is somewhat synonymous with such old phrases as: “A fish rots from the head first”, “A chip off the old block”, “The apple never falls far from the tree”, “You’re just like your father (or mother)”, and countless other phrases.
While the concept is based on common human behaviour in groups and is probably timeless, it was first studied in business organizations and commented on in leadership workshops and speeches in the early 1980s by John Childress and Larry Senn, co-founding partners of Senn-Delaney Leadership Consulting Group, Inc., the early experts in culture change and senior team leadership development. Its first usage in print was in the book, “In the Eye of the Storm: Reengineering Corporate Culture” published by the Leadership Press in 1995 and written by John Childress and Larry Senn. This book was later revised in 1999 and republished under the name: “The Secret of a Winning Culture: Building High Performance Teams”.