Yes / This paper develops a theory of the subjectivity of the leader through the philosophical lens of
Hegel’s master/slave dialectic and its recent interpretation by the philosopher Judith Butler. This is
used to analyse the working life history of a man who rose from poverty to a leadership position
in a large company and eventually to running his own successful business. Hegel’s dialectic is
foundational to much Western thought, but in this paper, I rashly update it by inserting a leader in
between the master, whose approval the leader needs if s/he is to sustain self-hood, and the
follower, who becomes a tool that the leader uses when trying to gain that elusive approval. The
analysis follows the structure of Butler’s reading of the Dialectic and develops understanding of
the norms that govern how leaders should act and the persons they should be. Hard work has
become for leaders an ethical endeavour, but they grieve the sacrifice of leisure. They enjoy a
frisson of erotic pleasure at their power over others but feel guilt as a result. They must prove
their leadership skills by ensuring their followers are perfect employees but at the same time must
prove their followers are poor workers who need their continued leadership. This leads to the
conclusion that the leader is someone who is both powerful and powerless. This analysis is
intended not to demonize leaders, but to show the harm that follows the emphasis on leadership
as a desirable and necessary organizational function.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/10301 |
| Date | 2014 July 1928 |
| Creators | Harding, Nancy H. |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, Accepted manuscript |
| Rights | The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Leadership, vol 10/issue 4 by SAGE Publications Ltd, All rights reserved. ©2014 Harding N. |
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