Mojo And Leadership

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Mojo And Leadership

In an earlier post, I described the components of mojo. But what about its effect on your group’s leadership? Mojo and leadership are different. It is possible for a person to have mojo, but that alone doesn’t make him or her a leader. 

How can someone have mojo and not be a good leader? Let’s paint a scenario, using the name Stan. Stan has mojo to spare. He is internally motivated, not lazy, works very hard, and sets a good example for everyone. Stan has a wealth of experience and his studies have given him expertise in the team’s area.
Stan always defers to coaches and trainers as needed, so that their plan is his plan. Stan comes from a solid home that supported him in whatever he did. He will perform under pressure and at the crucial times. Stan has been lucky enough to succeed whenever he did act. Some of his teammates think Stan is one of the best performers on the team. However, Stan isn’t a leader. Stan is not a “people person”. Stan is kind of a loner. He doesn’t enjoy fraternizing with his teammates in off hours. They don’t look to him for advice about anything that isn’t directly related to the team’s performance. Stan never thinks about how the world affects his teammates. He just expects them to do their jobs and not complain.

This is not the kind of guy with whom you want to have a beer. He just isn’t wired for leadership. His loner mentality is not an impediment to his mojo, but it is to his leadership. People won’t follow a person just because he is successful. He may be admirable but not inspirational. He may be a great performer but not a leader.

On the other hand, let’s look at Frank. How can someone be a good leader and not have mojo? Frank is endowed with empathy to spare. Everyone comes to him for advice. He could easily be described as a “people person”. Although he is motivated and experienced, he isn’t always one of the top performers in the group. Stan is often made the captain of any team he is on. He carries the manager’s messages to every teammate and supports them assiduously. Stan was supported in his youth in all that he tried. He has been lucky often. Others naturally follow him, even if he isn’t successful. He has a knack for making everyone perform to their best. In short, Frank is a natural leader, even if he doesn’t have the most mojo.

I have seen people like Frank rise in management positions where they don’t have experience performing exactly what their charges do. To compensate, they know how to get the best out of their charges and speak their language. They take good care of their people and remove roadblocks efficiently.

In short, the two qualities have different components. Any individual may possess more or fewer of these components. Many of the components are the same, but not all.

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