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(Case. 2) The Leader as Mirror: Clinical Reflections

Starting with a literary example, the nature of "mirroring" is reviewed in the context of human development and linked to leader-follower interaction patterns. It is argued that mirroring is needed for establishing and maintaining the boundaries of the self. Depending on the nature and quality of the developmental interface distortive mirroring patterns may come to the fore............ particularly in situations of crisis, leaders can easily turn into mirrors reflecting what we wish to see. This can cause an illusory form of reality and in the process endangers the organization. These opening words of the article aptly describe the similarities that can be drawn between a mirror and a leader. The word mirror is derived from the Latin mirari, which means not only to look at but also to wonder or to admire. On the other hand, mirari also refers to a mirage, an optical illusion, something illusory. The mirror is physically defined as a shiny, smooth surface which reflects the light that is incident on it and inverts the image laterally. There are different types of mirrors, some are plain, some are concave, some convex and some might even be cylindrical. The images one sees in a mirror are also as diverse as its name. With respect to their different shapes they distort the image in many different ways. Sometimes they make one look fat, sometimes long and sometimes they make one look impossibly shaped. For example, some mirrors show only the lower torso and not the head. Similarly, leadership also has different definitions and diverse perspectives attached to it. According to one author, "Always, it seems, the concept of leadership eludes us or turns up in another form to taunt us again with its slipperiness and complexity. So we have invented an endless proliferation of terms to deal with it . . . and still the concept is not sufficiently defined." Defining a multi-faceted quality like leadership is a difficult task. John Maxwell, known as America's expert on leadership, has defined the following attributes of a leader: Character Charisma Commitment Communication Competence Courage Discernment Focus Generosity Initiative

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Listening Passion Positive Attitude Problem Solving Relationships Responsibility Security Self-Discipline Servanthood Teachability Vision

Each attribute gives an insight into the various roles that a leader has to play while leading his followers. The author, de Vries, starts off with a story about Chauncy Gardiner, an illiterate gardener. His only knowledge about the outside world has come through continuous watching of TV programs. His understanding of the events around him is very limited. When his employer died, he was forced to face the outside world. There he became an instant hit with whomever he met. People began to attribute great wisdom to Chaunceys statements and recount them wherever they went. What was actually happening was that Chauncey used to repeat whatever is said to him, a practice he picked up from the television. Combined to that, whenever he was asked any question, he used to talk about his garden. People already having heard about his fame, merely attributed this to his being able to simplify seemingly complex processes. People just didnt want to acknowledge that what he might be saying was just sheer coincidence and nothing else. In another example, the president of a huge conglomerate, on being asked to give a speech, kept rubbing his face, closing his eyes, yawning regularly, and humming a little. After this demonstration of fatigue, contempt, or perhaps anxiety he started making seemingly profound comments like I am a good bicycle rider.. or I feel like a juke box. After a few more enigmatic comments, he ended the speech. The audience was enthralled by the talk. They started discussing about the presidents insights into the social and political life of his country. Even though he might be a gifted executive, his activities during this particular speech were not worthy of praise. The author goes on to explain the reasons behind this phenomenon. Here he brings in the concept of mirroring. He says that the leader becomes a sort of mirror in which the followers try to visualize their own attributes, irrespective of whether they are being realistic or distorted. In reality, Chauncey or the president doesnt deserve this praise. This particular property can be effectively used by leaders in controlling his followers. For example, in case the leader becomes isolated from the realities of his organization, the subordinates usually filter what information they pass on to their superiors. More the levels in the organizational hierarchy more will be the filtering that happens. In such a case, the leader should always seek the opinion and the conceptions of the lower strata of the workforce in order to really understand the organization and the effect he has on its

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functioning. He has to seek the image he projects on to the organization as a whole rather than only on the top management. In doing so, he might rediscover some of the basic premises that the organization stands for and which he must strive to maintain as a leader. However, the author points out that mere mirroring do not always make a leader. Other factors like articulating a vision of the future, making choices, network building, motivating, and reminding the constituency of reality. In Chauncey and the presidents cases, this illustrates the extent to which the followers would try to explain their perceptions and attain a feeling of control over their environment. In real life we can see this attribute being expertly exploited by the advertisement industry. A product may be just like any other of its kind, but due to its promotional inputs and the companys brand name, consumers rate it as the best. For example, the branded product advertisements will put up a show off enlightening the customers about the various quality tests performed, invite experts of the industry to comment on their endeavors. Consumers readily take in all the information saying that there is more transparency in the system; they are not kept in the dark. They feel more in control of the situation as it is perceived that the product delivered has met the metrics set by the consumers themselves. In reality, that is just a conceived notion on the part of the consumer and not many of them will later check out the validity of the claims made in the product endorsements. Next, the author tries to bring out the destructive aspects of mirroring. He uses the example of Narcissus to represent mankinds representation of idle hopes and disappointments, when he confuses his image in the water as something real and wasted away pining for the image. Often, whatever we see in a mirror doesnt always show the real thing. Whenever an actor dons make up and looks into the mirror before performing an act, the person peering out of the mirror isnt the real person. If the actor became attracted to a particular character that he is enacting, he wont be able to bring alive other characters whom he impersonates later. His career will be ruined. During his first year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter comes across a mirror which showed only the deepest desires of the person looking into it. Harry saw himself with his family, his friend Ron saw himself standing alone and the best among all his brothers, Professor Quirrell saw himself giving the Philosophers Stone to his master, Lord Voldemort. The Headmaster, Dumbledore explained to Harry the secret behind this strange phenomenon. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone -- find it, but not use it -- would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. We can find similarities between Narcissus obsession with his image and the Quirrels obsession with the Mirror of Erised. Both of them wasted away because they were entranced by what they saw not knowing whether what they are seeing is real or not.

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Such foolishness can however be of great use to others. In the old tale of the lion and the rabbit, the lion was fooled by the rabbit into believing that another lion existed in the depths of the well. The lion became angry and challenged the reflection with a loud roar. His roar was echoed ten times louder which scared the lion into running away from the forest and the animals were saved. This shows how even the people at the top (kings) can be fooled into seeing a competitor when in reality there is just their own image. This proves that people do not always see their deepest desires in their image, sometimes it is their deepest fears which gets manifested instead. This mirroring effect can also be examined in the developmental process of a child. The first person a baby comes in contact with his mother. A baby sees his mother and tries to emulate her characteristics. This is what is meant by the saying a mother is the first teacher of the child. Effectively, a child sees in his mother a reflection of his own self, fears, failures and desires. This process continues even when the child grows older. As a result, he tries to see the same attributes in not only in his mother but also in the people around him. This aspect becomes more apparent in situations when a child has to decide upon his career. His career choices are heavily influenced by the parents expectations and the image projection the child witnesses from them. However, developmental maturity determines the degree of realism in the reflective process. The more matured the person is the more he will be able to distinguish between reality and the imaginary. French psychoanalyst, Lacan, said The recognition by the infant of his or her own reflection in the mirror is an essential moment, a turning point in development. It is a point when the idea of the body as consisting of separate parts is overcome. This process is manifested in the child recognizing the concept of self as being different from his image. Mirroring can be used beneficially by balancing the real self and the image one projects in a given situation. But in moments of crisis this balance is sometimes lost. At such times, wishes tend to replace facts. Purely reflective mirroring occurs and the respect for each others individuality gets lost. In such cases, leaders become mere transferential figures, an ideal outlet for the distorted manifestations of the followers.