Symbolic Leadership Actions

The Power of Symbolic Leadership Action (Photo by Jeb Kriigel, all rights reserved)

The inaugural train rolled out of Philadelphia and chugged into Washington D.C. carrying our future leaders, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice-President-elect Joe Biden and their family members. It was an  skillful display of symbolic leadership action. Symbolic leaders use symbols, traditions, and stories to help people to buy into their vision, get on-board the train to change (just had to say that!), reinterpret past experience, portray shared values and needs, and finally rally followers to act on behalf of the organization’s goals.

Let’s take a quick look at how symbolic leadership unfolds . . . Symbolic leaders are good at placing their vision on a center stage for all to see and experience. Experiencing the vision is important – individuals must become emotionally connected to the bigger picture; be a part of something so large, and so important, that we have to do the vision together or it will fail.

Why do the symbolic leadership actions, such as the inaugural train ride, captivate and motivate people to work toward difficult goals? Bolman and Deal (1997) suggest that symbolism works when it is portrayed this way: “The past is usually a golden one, a time of noble purposes, of great deeds, of heroes and heroines. The present is a time of trouble, challenge, or crisis; a critical moment when we have to make fateful choices. The future is a dream; a vision of hope and greatness, often linked directly to greatness in the past” (p. 316). Symbolic leadership actions are effective when they resonate with the hopes, dreams, and values of the followers – AND the benefits and rewards are perceived as realistically obtainable.

What do you think and feel about these symbolic aspects of the inaugural train ride: it is a vintage train car, the trip path traces Lincoln’s 1861 ride, the route begins in Philadelphia and ends in Washington, D.C., Obama’s train stops to pick up Joe Biden (a regular train commuter), Obama cites from history (Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, the Declaration of Independence), the train stops at significant points of national interest, quick speeches acknowledge the current turbulent times (economy, war), and the new leaders recognize clues to success lie in the lessons of the past.

There is probably more symbolism than that – but I’ll let you research it! Symbolic leadership actions works when the leader is in tune with the followers’ deepest values and most pressing needs. Leaders are most likely to be effective when the symbolic actions they use are sincere, believable,  there is a real possibility that the vision can be fulfilled AND the needs of the followers are both acknowledged and  met.

Bolman, Deal. (1997). Reframing Organizations.

Train Photograph by K. Jeb Kriigel. www.getrealproducts.com  All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Thrive or Survive?

Using Your Strengths!

Have you ever wondered why some leaders succeed and others seem to spend a lot of time struggling? Why is it that some people can thrive in nearly every situation and yet others just struggle to merely survive the day?

If you become an observer of human interactions, you may very well see that leaders who are thriving have found a way to harness their strengths in their setting (whether that is in the home, work, school, or community!). Simply put, a personal strength is a talent – a strong talent. How do you know what your strengths are? One simple way to figure out your strengths is to look at what you do or how you do things. When you are using your strengths you almost always reach the goal you set. You have the ability hit the target dead-on, like an arrow going into the center of a bull’s eye. The motivation and energy are flowing, and you feel happy and successful with what you have accomplished. You might feel tired when you are finished using your strength, but it is a tiredness coming from doing well; and by golly – you would be willing to do it again at another time!

Another more formal way to discover your strengths is to take strengths assessment. I recently took a Strenghtsfinder 2.0 assessment and discovered my top five strengths to be: intellection, focus, learner, significance, and input. For me this means that I am at my best when I can: use my intellect (storehouse of knowledge!), set aside blocks of time to thoroughly complete what I want to do, satisfy my need to learn about new stuff, make a real difference in the world with my efforts, and provide input into developing people or processes. Whew, that is a lot – but not all strengths are used at the same time! I might only use one of those strengths at a time. However, I am at the top of my game when I can use one or more of my strengths as a basis for leadership.

What do you suppose your strengths might be? What would life be like if you could identify your strengths and really thrive – not survive? You have a whole brand new year to move toward a life of living and leading from your strenghts – go for it!