Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño , IE University
Recently, during a conference, one of the attendees asked me why business management experts talk so much about leaders and so little about followers, the middle management of organizations , who are sometimes called subordinates, as if they were avatars without initiative.
In the opinion of the questioner, most of the success that companies achieve is precisely due to those followers who, with seemingly menial tasks and without as much visibility as bosses, can nevertheless become important in unexpected circumstances.
INVISIBLE HEROES
Business history abounds with examples of rank-and-file workers identifying key customers, saving a major sale, identifying an innovation opportunity , or discovering major improvements. When I studied my MBA , a popular anecdote was the alternative positioning of baby food as food for elderly people with dental loss, when the original destination of the product had been babies. It was discovered by a clever salesperson in a neighborhood store, when he saw an octogenarian buying baby puree.
Undoubtedly, experience shows that ideas arise in unexpected places and that credit should be awarded dispersedly.
Therefore, although it makes sense to grant the laurels of success to those who create a new company to generate economic value, employment and social impact, in large corporations the merit is collective. In consolidated companies it would be a mistake to think that success is due exclusively or mainly to the CEO , even though he may be an accomplished executive with masterful abilities . In a large organization, the correct thing would be to distribute credit proportionally, and recognize the contribution of the various members to the benefit.
Surely, the success of a company is not attributable to one person or a single department, although some appropriate it or consider themselves essential. Over time I have understood that there are rarely indispensable people, although the departure of some may cause temporary disruption.
Acceptance of this shared merit makes it convenient to regularly express the recognition and gratitude due to people who perform different functions in an organization.
Furthermore, experience and history provide us with many examples of hidden protagonists and invisible heroes. I would like to comment on an example that I consider paradigmatic.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT, HISTORY AND MYTH
They commemorate the seventeenth century since the death of Alexander the Great , one of the most iconic leaders in history, who died in Babylon at the age of 33, leaving behind a trail of military victories. His conquests reached as far south as Egypt, where one of its main cities still bears his name. To the west, his raids reached the Hindustani peninsula (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal).
One of his many military triumphs was reflected in the famous mosaic of the Battle of Issos, which is preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Naples . The work shows a heated Alexander on the back of his horse, pursuing Darius III , king of the Persians , who, protected by his army, flees, admitting his defeat.
History has turned Alexander into a leadership reference , about which it has been written with more or less foundation. As has happened with other great historical icons, where reality, myth and fiction intertwine, his life has become an epic with pedagogical value and encourages personal improvement, regardless of the veracity of the story.
In these cases, the construction of an inspiring model, which allows building a theory of leadership , is more important than historical rigor. Something similar happens with the chronicles about the lives of saints or with many biographies of businessmen: the expression of some defect or fault that reveals their vulnerability and turns them into closer and imitable references is missing.
One of the most famous episodes in Alexander’s life is when he subjugates his horse Bucephalus, which would accompany him in many of his battles , and whom he would deify after his death. As a child, Alejandro realized that the impetuosity of the colt, which no one dared to ride, was due to the sighting of his own shadow in motion. To avoid that fear, Alexander knew how to tame him by orienting him towards the sun , so that he would not see his own reflection. From then on, mount and rider merged.
A LITTLE HELP
However, Alexander could hardly be considered a self-made leader . His father, Philip II of Macedonia , left him a budding empire and had the unquestioned support of his mother, as well as his friends and officers.
Among his tutors was Aristotle , who possibly inspired in the young king an interest in nature and knowledge. Also respect for cultural diversity, which can be reflected in divergent customs and uses. As he met the inhabitants of conquered cities, he would remember the stagyrite philosopher’s maxim:
“Fire burns in both Hellas and Persia, but the ideas of good and evil change from place to place.”
Meanwhile, his excesses were overlooked. For example, the murder of one of his lieutenants in the presence of the rest of his colleagues, in an outburst fueled by alcohol. Under other circumstances, this act would have motivated the insurrection of his men.
FRIENDS, GOOD AND LOYAL
Reading the biographies of Alexander written by Plutarch and Mary Renault , one of the most obvious conclusions is that he was fortunate to have good, loyal and competent friends.
Especially Hephaestion , whose relationship has been speculated in various ways: readers of Homer since childhood, Plutarch narrates how, upon visiting Troy , Alexander placed a crown on the tomb of Achilles and Hephaestion another on that of Patroclus .
The relevance of Hephaestion in the group, his excellent performance in multiple missions, some complicated and decisive, may lead us to wonder if Alexander would have been successful if he had not existed. Renault goes so far as to state that Hephaestion “is one of the most underrated characters in history.”
According to the chronicles, Hephaestion did not fail in any of the commissions he received from Alexander, which earned him the envy of many of his colleagues. Furthermore, he had a more majestic bearing than Alexander, as reflected in the episode in which, after the defeat of Issos, the queen mother of the Persian empire prostrated herself before Hephaestion, believing that he was the king.
Hephaestion died early, at the age of 32, apparently from typhoid fever contracted during the Olympic Games . Alexander’s desolation was immense, he locked himself up for several weeks, cut his hair like Achilles did upon the death of Patroclus, and deified Hephaestion. The mound where his body was cremated must have been one of the most spectacular monuments of the time.
Possibly the case of Hephaestion is just one of the vast majority in which the success of military , professional or business exploits are attributed to a single person when the merit should also fall, or mainly, to others.
GRATITUDE AND HUMILITY
As a university president , when someone tries to personify my institution’s achievements to me, I try to make it clear that, in reality, it is a team effort (although I recognize that at times it seems like feigned modesty). What can we do then to really contribute to the distribution of that merit across a broader group of people, the collective of an organization? Below I suggest a series of initiatives:
- Frequently recognize and thank, not only privately but also publicly, the merit of the people who work with us. And, if possible, in writing, because communications and posts remain longer than words. Praise from others manifests generosity and magnanimity, greatness of heart and nobility of spirit. I usually encourage my colleagues not to be rude when thanking them.
- Avoid appropriating the merits of other colleagues. This is a temptation that reflects insecurity, and also the urge to achieve success, which usually generates distrust and can even lead to derailment. Surely you know in your organization some cases of climbers who do not hesitate to promote themselves at the expense of the ideas or work of others. You will also have noticed the laughter generated by your behavior in groups and informal comments. Arrogating the merits of others is a defect that remains in the memory of colleagues and that is difficult to shake, so that it obscures leadership possibilities.
- Cultivate humility, professional modesty, not in public but in private, reminding ourselves that many of the achievements we achieve professionally, or that our company achieves, are the result of a collective effort.
Memoir books often engage in hyperbole and some ordinary episodes become deeds. One of the first historical references to autobiographical amplification is the case of another giant of history, Julius Caesar and his Commentaries on the Gallic War , which narrates in the third person his military successes in the region, extolling his virtues as strategist and leader.
Aware of the impact that his Commentaries could have in Rome, metropolis and center of power , Caesar sent the chapters of the work to his fellow citizens episodically, a preview of the journalistic chronicles that magnified his figure and paved the way to his position as dictator.
We also know the unfortunate end of his life, stabbed by a group of senators, among whom was one of his protégés, and the surprise that Shakespeare puts in his words : “ You too, Brutus?”
A version of this article was published on LinkedIn.
