Today's biggest human challenge isn't leading broken organizations slightly better. It's building better organizations in the first place. It isn't about leadership: it's about "buildership".
Umair Haque has made a new manifesto "The Builders": http://blogs.hbr.org/haque/2009/12/the_builders_manifesto.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness%2Fhaque+%28Umair+Haque+on+HarvardBusiness.org%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
He goes on to list ten principles to become one:
Ten principles of Constructivism (contrasted with these principles of leadership).
- The boss drives group members; the leader coaches them. The Builder learns from them.
- The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will. The Builder depends on good.
- The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The Builder is inspired — by changing the world.
- The boss says "I"; the leader says "we". The Builder says "all" — people, communities, and society.
- The boss assigns the task, the leader sets the pace. The Builder sees the outcome.
- The boss says, "Get there on time;" the leader gets there ahead of time. The Builder makes sure "getting there" matters.
- The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The Builder prevents the breakdown.
- The boss knows how; the leader shows how. The Builder shows why.
- The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes work a game. The Builder organizes love, not work.
- The boss says, "Go;" the leader says, "Let's go." The Builder says: "come."