Leadership and Therapy

              I was privileged to be on a call recently with author, Dan Coyle.  Dan has written quite a bit about culture, leadership and similar themes.  He is a bright, articulate guy, so I appreciate listening to him and learning ways to improve my own way of living and leading.  I appreciate how he can take some rather complex issues and break them down into smaller, understandable pieces so that we feel like we know how to move forward. 

            During his conversation he made a point, but did not elaborate.  He said that “leadership and therapy are not all that different.”  This followed up an earlier point where he noted that mental health is much more present and talked about within the work system, at schools, etc.  I would agree with this observation.  All of us with some age on us do not recall this prevalence and openness with which mental health is discussed.  Of course, I think it is healthy, but I also suspect there is much more to learn.

            I am less interested in whether Coyle’s point is correct as I am his opinion that leadership and therapy are not all that different.  I had never heard that, so I want to ponder it here.  At this point, I am not saying whether I think that it is true or whether Dan is wrong.  I have done no research on the issue.  I have done some leading in my life and I have also do some therapy.  That said, I am not a professional therapist in the sense that psychologists are and health care workers, like physical therapists clearly are.

            Most folks assume they know what leadership and assume they know what leaders do.  What is probably more unknown is exactly what therapy is.  I can start with the word.  I know it comes from the Greek and basically means to “heal” or to “make well.”  Obviously, that fits what we know about health care, including mental health care.  It is also easy to assume that one needs to be trained and be licensed to do this.  It is easy to think about the people who think they do it, but a little better than well-intentioned quacks.

            That said, I do think many people are doing therapy and perhaps don’t even recognize it.  I think about people who are often in menial jobs, like cafeteria workers in a school, or people in jobs that routinely interact with people in people’s place of vulnerability, like bar tenders.  Often these kinds of folks are the front-line workers in the mental health industry and they are not getting paid to do this work. 

            I think about my own work as a college professor.  No doubt, many times I have dealt with mental health issues in students.  Sometimes it make sense to refer them to the health center for professional counseling.  But other times, what students really need is a empathetic heart and a listening ear.  Often they are not asking for advice.  Frequently, they really want nothing more than some understanding.  Understand their situation and don’t make it worse.  Sometimes, the help is no big deal.  For example, someone may simply need a little more time to do an exam than the “normal” student can do quicker.  No big deal.  They are not asking for a special favor.  They simply desire a fair deal.

            I am beginning to understand Coyle’s contention that leadership and therapy are not all that different.  Essentially, leaders get others to do something.  They cause change; make something happen.  Therapists do the same.  Even if a diagnosis cannot change the problem, the therapist can still change a mindset or change how someone deals with a problem. 

            As I ponder this further, I realize there are some common features to both leadership and therapy.  Both require a sense of what the goal or purpose is.  Both require focusing on the other; egos only get in the way.  Good leaders and therapists do better when they are open and willing to listen to what the other is feeling and saying.  I think both leaders and therapists need to be flexible and adaptable---especially in our current world.  This means they need to hold lightly the things they assume and assume they know.  It is easy to think about the recent time in Covid.  Leaders and therapists had to be flexible and adaptable to changing situations.  Rigidity is a recipe for failure.

            My mind turns to the people who might model this kind of leader-therapist type.  It is natural to think about Jesus.  Clearly, he was both.  And he did not have a Ph.D.!  Even though I am not Catholic, I think about Pope Francis.  He seems to be doing both.  I can think of other spiritual leaders whom I have known and would be anonymous for most readers.  I would love to convene a group to discuss this further.

            One last thought occurs to me.  One of the most important tasks for effective leadership is balancing two forms of knowing.  The obvious knowing to know the person or group you are leading.  Again, this requires openness, sensitivity, a listening ear and so much more.  Fewer folks are really capable here than we might guess.  The other knowing is to know the future.  Of course, this does not mean leaders are fortune tellers, but they have to know enough about the future to be able to create a picture and tell a story to compel the followers to go for it. 

            Jesus certainly did this very well.  Maybe it is time to go back and look at him again to study leadership and therapy.