DEFINITION:
The term “meta-leadership” refers to the ability of providing motivation and guidance to individuals across organizational boundaries.
The larger aim of “meta-leadership” is to develop a shared course of action and sense of common purpose among individuals working in different departments of an organization.
ETYMOLOGY:
The term “meta-leadership” was introduced into the literature in a 2015 working paper entitled “Meta-Leadership: A Framework for Building Leadership Effectivenes,” authored by Leonard J. Marcus, Barry C. Dorn, Joseph M. Henderson, and Eric J. McNulty under the auspices of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The English term “meta-leadership” is composed of the following two elements:
(1) the prefix “meta-,” meaning “beyond” or “at a higher [more-abstract, more-encompassing] level.” The prefix is attested in English from the sixteenth century, when it meant “with,” “after,” or “between.” The term is New Latin, meaning it is compounded in recent times out of Classical Latin or Greek elements. “Meta-” derives from the ancient Greek preposition meta, meaning “with” or “after”; and
(2) the noun “leadership,” which is attested in English from the nineteenth century. The word is derived from the noun “leader,” which is attested from the thirteenth century. “Leader” is connected to the verb “to lead,” which derives, via the Middle English verb leden, from the Old English verb lǣdan, meaning “to lead.” Lǣdan is related to another Old English noun lithan, meaning “to go,” and is akin to Old High German leiten, also meaning “to lead.”
DISCUSSION:
The character trait of “meta-leadership” consists of the desire and ability of leaders to extend their leadership beyond the usual or official domain of their authority.
The purpose of such a broadening of the scope of leadership is to provide guidance and motivation for collective action by individuals who ordinarily work within different domains of authority within an organization.
“Meta-leadership” becomes necessary in complex or crisis situations that may involve multiple stakeholders.
Thus, “meta-leadership” transcends ordinary leadership skills. A leader who is strong in “meta-leadership” skills will have a good understanding of both his or her own leadership strengths and weaknesses and those of the leaders of other teams. Such leaders will use this understanding to determine how best to utilize the strengths of all the teams.
The term “meta-leadership” may sound esoteric. However, it basically just means that good leaders know themselves and their teams—as well as other leaders and their teams within an organization—and take account of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses in order better to succeed in fulfilling the organization’s appointed tasks.