Burns on Leadership vs. Power: Core Ideas and Applications

Core Ideas: Leadership as a Moral Contract

The core idea of James MacGregor Burns' Leadership is that leadership is a contract between the leader and the led; the led have a choice when it comes to whom they will follow. It is not as if there is but one option. There are always alternatives — but the led choose to follow a particular leader because that leader reflects their values and presents a vision and mission they are willing to buy into. The leader provides the tools followers need to make it all happen, and recognizes his commitment to them. That recognition serves as the basis of moral leadership.

This concept is deontological at its core; it is derived from duty ethics — that which is most moral corresponds with one's duty in life. It is the duty of the leader to serve the led, and it is the duty of the led to follow the leader. The contract they enter into — that relationship between leader and led — is fundamentally a moral one. There can be no success unless both sides of the contract recognize their responsibilities to the other.

Power, Motive, and the Role of the Follower

Burns refers to Max Weber for support in describing what is meant by power, identifying it as a relationship between motive and resource. Burns describes leadership as separate from, but also important to, power. The key to understanding the difference between those who hold power — but are not necessarily leaders — and those who are genuine leaders is that leaders arouse the motive of the follower (Burns, 1978).

Critical Evaluation: Burns in Dialogue with Other Theorists

Northouse discusses leadership from a variety of theoretical perspectives, essentially showing how the concept has evolved throughout the twentieth century — from trait theory through to servant leadership theory. In studies by Kouzes and Posner, it is suggested that the most influential leaders are those who empower rather than overpower their followers. This correlates directly with what Burns says about leadership: genuine leaders arouse the motivation of followers. When leaders step out of the way and allow space for followers to develop themselves and cultivate their own skills, they are seen as the best type of leaders.

Followers appreciate being given consideration. According to Kouzes and Posner, the best leaders accept feedback and are willing to receive criticism because they want to know how they are doing. They recognize that leadership is not solely about themselves but about how well they engage with followers and whether those followers are gaining anything meaningful from the relationship. The worst leaders tend to be closed-minded and unable to accept criticism because they are absorbed with themselves and their own power.

This is precisely the contribution Burns makes to leadership theory. Burns indicates that leaders who see only their own motives miss out on what their followers bring. Leaders cannot simply be self-absorbed, treating everyone else as a resource to be exploited for their own mission. Individual followers may become resources — but not without buying into the vision and mission the leader presents. To achieve that buy-in, the leader must rouse the motive of the follower. The best leaders accomplish this by genuinely understanding what their followers need.

References

Burns, J. (1978). Leadership. Open Road.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370.