Great motivation is not always great leadership.
In yesterday’s entry we talked about the relationship between leadership and motivation. One of my readers mentioned that fear can be a great motivator. So, is someone who motivates by instilling fear a great leader? Wow. We could debate that one for quite some time. There are endless examples of leaders who have used fear extensively (Kahn, Hitler, Stalin, Hussein). Many of these leaders accomplished impressive results. But were they great leaders.?
I think the short answer is that, by some standards they were great leaders, but they were not GOOD leaders. And I do not mean morally good, which they clearly were not. What I mean is that leadership and motivation through fear can be effective but it will never be optimal.
People who react due to fear will never aspire to achieve more, to make a greater contribution. They will never learn the finest elements leadership. And, perhaps most importantly, they will never teach the elements of exceptional leadership to those who come behind them. And for all that, I say leadership and motivation by fear is not good leadership at all.
