The two faces of leadership

Leadership has two faces -- there's the glamorous side that happens in the spotlight, and the less obvious work that goes on behind the scenes. Both are crucial, but leadership literature has increasingly stressed the public face at the expense of the more technocratic one. To borrow terminology from seminal organisational theorist James March, it focuses on the poetry of leadership and often neglects the plumbing. Charles Galunic, INSEAD Professor of Organisational Behaviour, sheds light on the more obscure face of leadership in his new book Backstage Leadership: The Invisible Work of Highly Effective Leaders. He encourages leaders to concentrate on five core processes: scanning and sensemaking, building and locking in commitment, handling contradictions, harnessing culture, and developing talent and capabilities. Though his book was written before Covid-19, he also speaks about the heightened relevance of backstage leadership in light of the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.Read more: https://knowledge.insead.edu/leadership-organisations/the-two-faces-of-leadership-14646