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Superleadership

Theory Development

The term “SuperLeadership” was originally coined in 1989 by Charles Manz and Henry Sims in their book SuperLeadership: Leading Others to Lead Themselves . SuperLeadership describes a management style that emphasizes the importance of having individuals “lead themselves”. During the late 80’s and into the early 90’s Manz and Sims identified what they believed to be a growing trend concerning a demand for individual empowerment that was sweeping the country. In fact, self-leadership, the defining theory behind Superleadership, has often been presented as the primary mechanism driving employee empowerment in the modern workforce.

After recognizing the want and need for change within what they believed to be an archaic system of leadership training the business world, Manz and Sims developed the concept of SuperLeadership, which quickly became popular. According to Manz and Sims “superleaders” are not like traditional leaders in that their strength does not rest solely in their own abilities but rather in the abilities of those who surround them. Since the release of their first book Manz and Sims have gone on to deliver thousands seminars and in 2001 they penned another book called “The New SuperLeadership: Leading Others to Lead Themselves” .

Organizational Application

The premise of the Superleadership concept is one found within the growing work environment trend of management strategies based on employee empowerment. The idea of "self leadership" is a relevant practice for executives, managers, and all employees . A Superleader focuses on the growth and development of the self-leadership abilities in others. This concept allows individuals to embark on a quest for self-fulfillment that may lead to a discovery of a new emerging self. As a Superleader, the focus should be centered on strengthening the available leadership abilities of others, while providing praise along with constructive criticism and feedback. This concept believes that the key to effective leadership in any organization is good self-leadership and the ability to make good decisions regarding how oneself can best contribute to the overall success of a company .

Manz and Sims state that the best way to begin understanding Superleadership is to understand the way each of us influences ourselves to enhance our own satisfaction and performance. They also suggest that widespread self-leadership needs to be filtered down from the top of organizations in order to be properly engrained within their culture.

Purpose and future of Superleadership

One of the main reasons that Superleadership is such a critical aspect to a well-functioning organization is that it leads others to lead themselves. This means that instead of applying a more traditional style of leadership where one or a few people may wield more power and influence, a Superleader is an individual that tries to empower other people to become leaders in their own right. The effectiveness of Superleadership has been especially evident in the service and knowledge based work industries where team-work is integral to the organization's goals. Employees that are empowered by their superiors are more likely to not only believe in their work but to also be more committed to it as well.

As more and more organizations are centered around the technology and information industries, Superleadership will have a growing role in the way these companies function. Attempts to undermine individual creativity and freedom in the workplace have shown to ultimately harm a company's long-term success, but by giving employees the tools to empower themselves and also giving them recognition as a valued contributor it will be more likely to foster a culture of productivity and effectiveness.

Contemporary Examples of Superleadership

Our society today has a growing number of prominent individuals who have emerged utilizing Superleadership. A fascinating arena for studying leaders who exhibit Superleadership can be found in sports teams. Joe Paterno, the head football coach for Penn State, is known for his success as a football coach but also as a successful leader who incorporates different types of leadership styles . Through his leadership style, Paterno recognizes that one of the main elements of developing into an effective and successful leader is group involvement. Paterno prides himself on the ability to get his athletes motivated, involved, and able to recognize their own potential to be successful. Paterno started having meetings with his players that involved a new form of communication that emphasized open discussion and conversations of emotions. Another feature of Superleadership that Paterno exhudes is recognizing that mistakes happen and his players need a chance to make their own mistakes in order to grow to become their own leader.

Another contemporary example of an individual who exhibits Superleadership is Herb Kelleher, the CEO of Southwest Airlines. One philosophy that holds true to Herb’s character and leadership style is that “everybody is a leader, had to be a leader, in order to have the most effective results.” Kelleher believes that every individual has the capacity and motivation to become a self-leader. Kelleher believes that everyone is born with at least a latent capability and desire to be a leader. Herb has molded Southwest Airlines to be a place of leadership education and if an individual has a desire to lead, time and effort is spent working with others to develop their leadership skills. Southwest Airlines provides different levels of leadership education classes specifically constructed to help employees with different levels of knowledge and experience to become successful self-leaders .