Implicit Leadership Theories

Implicit Leadership Theories are a core part of our understanding of leadership and who is a leader. Observing the implicit leadership theories that exist in a work place is intriguing because you get to see things you recognize from your studies, as well as different ILTs that you may not have acknowledged before. An example of ILTs I observed was those that are reflected in the division between executives and staff. Early in the summer, I told the story of how one of my co-workers got caught leaving the office at the same time as my boss, and how uncomfortable he felt stuck in conversation with him. The awkward separation likely came from him implicit belief that they are not one in the same. Our CEOs powerful role as the “leader” made my co-worker feel as though they were not on the same playing field, even in simple conversation. This is an example of how implicit leadership theories can reach beyond settings in which are leader is actively leading us, and effect our casual interactions even when the act of leadership is non-existent. The idea of just how constant a role ILTs play in our lives was not something I had earlier realized. After when thinking about how my co-workers ILTs effected his casual interaction, it reminded me to be aware of my actions around people I see in leadership roles outside of a leadership setting. Do I still act as though I an their subordinate, instead of their equal? is my body language different than it would be around one of my co-workers closer to my pay-grade? These are good things to think about when analyzing the roles of leadership not only in the workplace, but when we experience work place relations in our social lives.