In seeking to do their own metabolizing of anxiety, an assertive Ruby Red leader will shift either the organization’s definition of its current condition or its commitment to a specific desired state—if the gap is too great between the real and ideal. By contrast, the collaborative Rainbow leader will encourage members of the organization to live in the gap, retaining both the realism of the thoughtful leader and the idealism of the inspiring leader. Living in the gap means acknowledging the hard work that has yet to be done in realizing at least part of the dream.
The collaborative leader is likely to struggle alongside other members of the organization in reducing the size of the gap between where the organization is and where it wants to be. Yet, in the midst of this struggle, the Rainbow leader is shining through the storm. She models courageous and effective leadership in the midst of anxiety and storm. Her own work influences (and inspires) other people with whom she works to become courageous leaders themselves. Best Practice 3 is alive and well!
Appropriate Use of Strengths
Collaborative (rainbow) leadership is invaluable to organizations for two primary reasons: flexibility and connectivity. The collaborative leader can be flexible, moving into a variety of different roles and balancing off both the strengths and weaknesses of assertive, thoughtful or inspiring leaders, particularly if any one of these three approaches becomes too powerful. Typically, the collaborative leader moves easily back and forth between a formal leadership role and a supportive role as an active member of the work group.
There are rarely major struggles within the group because both the collaborative leader and her followers view the collaborative leader as someone who is special in some circumstances but just like other members of the group in other circumstances. Gibb describes just such a flexible model of leadership:[xx]
“Followers subordinate themselves not to an individual who is utterly different but to a member of their group who has superiority at this time and who is fundamentally just as they are. . . . The leader inevitably embodies many of the qualities of the followers.”
The collaborative leader is truly a context-oriented leader who accommodates many different conditions and needs.
Second, the collaborative Rainbow leader connects with other people both inside and outside the organization. By encouraging broad-based participation, she fosters relationships and builds networks. Whereas assertive, inspiring and thoughtful leaders sometimes are inclined to go it alone, the collaborative leader works with others and pulls people out of their spaces of isolation into a world of interdependence and connectivity.
1K Club
