One reason there are many bad leaders is the misleading myth of “leadership”

One reason why there are many bad leaders is the misleading myth of “leadership” itself. When speaking of “myth”, we mean the multiple and subtle stories about people, power and change that are conveyed by the word “leadership.” The myth of leadership over-emphasizes “leadership” as salient to organizational and societal outcomes (Meindl et al. 1985; Nielsen 2011). In this chapter we will suggest that the myth of leadership misleads people with senior roles, as well as those who aspire to such roles, those who observe or follow them, and anyone who seeks to create meaningful change. This over-emphasis on leadership therefore misleads human endeavor to produce poor organizational and societal outcomes which, research shows, people then blame on “bad leaders,” precisely because of that over-emphasis on their salience. Therefore, a tragic cycle of over-emphasizing leadership is completed