The Reality Of Leadership & Why Theory, Concepts, And Models Lack Practicability & Adaptability
- Mar 18, 2025
- 4 min read
Written by Lars Friedrich, Leadership Expert
Lars Friedrich, a seasoned expert in personal and professional leadership development, brings a unique 'Touch of Zen' to his approach. This distinctive method, honed over a proven track record of over three decades, sets him apart in the field and piques his curiosity.
Executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs' ability to swiftly identify when reality deviates from expectations and adjust their approach is a crucial determinant of success in almost all complex, high-stakes environments of today's businesses.
It's easy to mistake the theory of reality for reality itself!
This fundamental truth cannot be overstated for all those 'experts' who continue to approach the vital topic of leadership from a primarily theoretical and scholarly perspective.
Often, this approach is combined with endlessly paraphrasing theories or developing new concepts.
At the same time, they also lack practical, first-hand experience at the leadership levels they continuously discuss, write about, educate, and advise others on.
But leadership, first and foremost, is about active leading, not reading!
Mere representations
Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski was a Polish-American independent scholar and a pioneer in the field of semantics.
A system of linguistic philosophy that attempts to increase humanity's capacity to transmit ideas from generation to generation through the study and refinement of ways of using and reacting to language.¹
His famously coined phrase:
"The map is not the territory." - Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybsk
Reminds us that we must always be open to the possibility that our understanding may not align with reality.
It also emphasises that our understanding of the world differs from the world itself.
In other words, our perceptions, theories, concepts, and mental models are mere representations of the actual world!
Creating maps
Generally, our minds create maps to simplify and navigate complex realities.
And they often and popularly used mind map tools to visualise concepts or processes and copy precisely that mechanism.
Undeniably, a map's usefulness is due to its simplicity!
But if a map didn't leave out details and reduce nuance, it would be a scale model of the terrain it represented.
For example, such an unreduced city map would have to be the town's size, and while simplicity facilitates speed, it also opens the door to potential errors.
This insight reminds us to be cautious and refrain from relying on abstractions to avoid overlooking the territory's true nature.
Because even the most minor details, often omitted by trusted maps, can hold significant importance.
In other words, all theories can only depict a snapshot of reality and may not always align with the actual world!
Maslow's hammer
This misalignment is also expressed by a concept commonly known as 'The Law of the Instrument', 'Maslow's Hammer', or 'The Golden Hammer'.
It is an aphorism from American psychologist Abraham Harold Maslow's 'The Psychology of Science', published in 1966, referring to an overreliance on a familiar or favourite tool.²
"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." - Abraham Harold Maslow
In-depth, he refers to a cognitive bias or heuristic that describes the tendency for individuals to over-rely on a familiar tool, method, or approach when faced with a problem or decision-making situation.
While such a tool can sometimes be handy, an overreliance can result in approaching problems, adversity, or challenges in ways that are only occasionally helpful.
Sometimes, those ways may also not be the most appropriate or, in the worst case, even destructive.
The chosen word 'tool' in Maslow’s quote is an excellent metaphor for a problem that almost all theories face when put into practice!
The map is not the territory
In high-stress, high-stakes, and time-crunching business environments of leadership, the ability to adapt to the factual reality of the existing situation, not just to expectations or perceptions, is not just necessary: it is crucial.
Especially in scenarios where inconsistent leadership execution can generate catastrophic results!
Every time executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs face a situation that seems to contradict their mental map, they need to step back and reassess based on what the actual situation presents.
These moments are precisely where the true power of the 'The Map is not the Territory' concept shines, as it always negates all before-made theories that are not based on the facts of reality.
It also empowers executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs to adapt after reassessing, leading to more effective and exemplary leadership.
The reality of leadership
While theories, concepts, and mental models of leadership scenarios are invaluable tools, they're just the beginning!
Instead of endlessly paraphrasing theory or developing new concepts, executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs' ability to identify when reality deviates from expectations swiftly is a crucial determinant of success in almost all complex, high-stakes environments of today's businesses.
Also, the needed adjustment and the resulting execution of their approach.
This insight underscores the importance of continuous learning in personal and leadership development and should serve as a strong motivator for all professional executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs.
That's why promoting the reality of leadership instead of the too-often romanticised perception of it is not just important but essential!
It should inspire a commitment to practical experience in all those executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs who aspire to exemplary leadership in their personal and professional development.
Lars Friedrich, Leadership Expert
Lars Friedrich, a seasoned expert in personal and professional leadership development, brings a unique 'Touch of Zen' to his approach. This distinctive method, honed over a proven track record of over three decades, sets him apart in the field and piques his curiosity.
With a career that has spanned from being a former Officer and Special Forces Operator to a COO in international and intercultural corporate business operations and development positions, and now as the founder of his boutique business, Lars has accumulated a wealth of practical leadership, resilience, discipline, motivation, endurance, commitment, persistence, and dedication.
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