Leadership is influence. That’s the most basic definition you’ll find for the complex and nuanced topic we call leadership: the ability to obtain followers. When you strip away all the moral issues surrounding the topic, Hitler was a leader, Abe Lincoln was a leader, Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader, Jim Jones was a leader.
And – unfortunately for human history, Osama bin Laden was a leader.
Stop. Take a deep breath. Before you start drafting your hate mail, put your pen down and hear me out. Despite how reprehensible I personally find bin Laden – actually, BECAUSE I find him so reprehensible – it’s my responsibility to study what factors allowed such a monster to build a following.
1. Cast a vision (that’s not about you).
Bin Laden’s influence stemmed from his ability to tap into a deep fear that Western culture is threatening the fabric of Muslim civilization. He was able to channel the rage over what is widely viewed as Western expansion (military and cultural).
Take a look at just one example of the language bin Laden used in casting a vision to incite his followers:
" . . . For the American forces to expect anything from me personally reflects a very narrow perception. Thousands of millions of Muslims are angry. The Americans should expect reactions from the Muslim world that are proportionate to the injustice they inflict." -- Osama bin Laden to Time Magazine Dec 1998
Now look at what Abraham Lincoln told the battle-weary soldiers of the 166th Ohio Regiment:
"It is not merely for today, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children's children this great and free government... I beg you to remember this, not merely for my sake, but for yours... It is in order that each of you may have... an open field and a fair chance for your industry, enterprise, and intelligence; that you may all have equal privleges in the race of life..." -- Abraham Lincoln, 1864
The common denominator is the message that: “It’s not about me. It’s about you.”
2. Don’t just lead, catalyze.
Al Qaeda is a decentralized organization. For a time, bin Laden may have acted as CEO, but eventually he became more or less a figurehead for a leaderless organization. Intentional or not, al Qaeda grew into a decentralized, open organization. It inspired subsidiary (or copycat) organization in Somalia, Iraq, Spain and many other corners of the globe. And that’s precisely what made it so difficult to confront.
In The Starfish and the Spider, Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom define a Catalyst as “the person who initiates a circle and then fades away into the background.” They go on to discuss how these types of decentralized “starfish organizations” can grow and morph and become extremely difficult to contain.
“…given that eliminating the catalyst is a futile effort… and given that when you [kill the catalyst], new ones quickly emerge, the only part of the decentralized organization that you can realistically go after is the ideology.”
For several examples of more positive "starfish organizations", consider Wikipedia or Craiglist.
3. Build your bench. Groom your successors.
It remains to be seen whether al Qaeda has any formal or informal successors that will step into the role of catalyst or leader. Hopefully any formal successors are now known to the world’s security forces and will never be able to catalyze al Qaeda to the degree bin Laden did.
But students of leadership would do well to learn a lesson from bin Laden’s downfall: you never know when your influence will end. You probably aren’t hiding in a bunker waiting for the Navy SEAL Team Six, but don’t fool yourself: you can’t lead forever. You might get hit by a bus tomorrow.
Are you identifying and mentoring the leaders of tomorrow?
4. One determined person can change the world.
Some of the most impactful images seized in the raid on bin Laden’s bunker are of a haggard bin Laden in a skull-cap sitting under a blanket, watching himself on a TV. Frankly, I was surprised by the images – bin Laden’s ratty bunker was a far cry from the Dr. Evil headquarters I had imagined.
Here’s a man that is among the few that can honestly claim to have changed the course of history. It’s hard to believe that THIS is the guy that caused so much pain and destruction.
And that’s the point. One determined person that harnesses the powers of leadership can change the world – for evil…or for good. If this broke-down old man in a ratty basement can shake up the world for evil, what’s stopping you from changing the world for good?
To learn how to build a culture of leadership and use it for good rather than evil, check out our leadership 360 tool, LeaderGrade.