What is 5 String Leadership, anyway?

The business and management sections of bookstores are full of leadership manuals.  A simple online search for “leadership books” returns an endless list of literature from supposed leadership gurus.  The titles overlap so much that it’s impossible to know where to start.  There’s How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge[1] and Getting it Done: How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge[2].  There’s Leading from Within[3] and Leading from Your Gut[4].  There’s Lead with Purpose[5] and Leading with Purpose[6].  Let’s not forget Leading from Behind: Turn Anxiety into Courage[7] and Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him[8].

Despite the mind-numbing collection of indistinguishable books, some have risen to become all-time best sellers like The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People[9], The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership[10], and Think and Grow Rich[11].  These books are best sellers for a reason- they contain some excellent advice.  Stephen Covey’s advice to “sharpen the saw” in The Seven Habits is sound guidance for everyone, leaders and non-leaders alike.  John Maxwell’s “law of the lid” in The 21 Irrefutable Laws is a great lesson on the importance of one’s vision and potential.  That said, surely there’s more to being effective than seven simple habits or 21 laws.  Otherwise, leaders could simply follow the steps and success would be waiting around the corner.

As a business student and financial planning representative, I saw hundreds of successful leaders who had taken very different paths to success.  The leaders were extremely diverse.  Some were quiet and reserved while others were extremely outgoing.  Some were careful and calculated while others were spontaneous.  One successful greenhouse owner and farmer asked me, “Travis, what is the most important thing you learned in business school?”  I told him that having a plan was probably the most critical part of the process.  He said, “Well, I didn’t really have a plan when I started this greenhouse.  I just decided to do it one year and here we are.”  That was 15 years ago, and the greenhouse is still going strong today. 

This disconnect between the popular leadership literature and real-life success is part of the reason I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in leadership.  I wanted to go deeper and learn about leadership on a granular level.  It came as no surprise when I found that over 60 distinct styles of leadership had been identified by scholars, with more leadership theories and approaches being studied every day.  Leadership is indeed more complex than 21 laws or seven habits. 

So, what is 5 String Leadership?  Is it a leadership style adapted from string theory?  Could it be a concept built on five pillars that are strung together to create a cohesive approach?  5 String Leadership is not a style or theory at all.  If anything, 5 String Leadership is a mindset.  The name comes from the 5-string banjo, which I started playing when I was 13.  Learning the banjo has taught me patience, perseverance, teamwork, and innovation.  I’ve learned how to harness my internal passion and how to communicate through word and song.  I’ve played in a band where I learned that different people have different strengths and are motivated by different things.  I’ve learned financial lessons from playing gigs and recording albums.  Perhaps most important of all, I’ve extended and received grace, gratitude, and forgiveness during my musical journey.

There is no silver bullet or golden egg in leadership.  There is no prescribed set of laws that will bring guaranteed success.  However, you must figure out how to harness your own strengths and motivations and do the same with your followers.  It is difficult to lead others when you don’t know yourself, and it is equally difficult to lead others when you don’t understand what makes your followers tick.  Hence the cliché “the blind leading the blind.”  Take some time to learn about yourself.  There are great tools like the EQ-i test for emotional intelligence and the DiSC personality assessment.  There are also great coaches who are trained to help you uncover your potential.  If it’s feasible, administer the EQ-i, DiSC, or similar assessments to your followers and take time to get to know them.  5 String Leadership is my personal approach to leadership, and I hope you get some value from my articles.  But, don’t stop there.  Take time to develop your own leadership mindset to guide you as you lead yourself and others.   

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[1] Scroggins, C. (2017). How to Lead when You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence when You Lack Authority. Zondervan.

[2] Fisher, R., Sharp, A., & Richardson, J. (1998). Getting it done: how to lead when you're not in charge. HarperBusiness.

[3]Intrator, S. M., & Scribner, M. (2009). Leading from within: Poetry that sustains the courage to lead. John Wiley & Sons.

[4]Townsend, J. (2018). Leading from Your Gut: How You Can Succeed by Harnessing the Power of Your Values, Feelings, and Intuition. Zondervan.

[5] Baldoni, J. (2011). Lead with purpose: Giving your organization a reason to believe in itself. AMACOM American Management Association.

[6] Koehler, M. (2015). Leading with Purpose: How to Engage, Empower and Encourage Your People to Reach Their Full Potential. Over and Above Press.

[7] Devos, D., De Wit, M., & Lubberding, R. (2018). Leading from Behind: Turn Anxiety Into Courage. LID Publishing.

[8] Miniter, R. (2012). Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him. Macmillan.

[9] Covey, S. R., & Covey, S. (2020). The 7 habits of highly effective people. Simon & Schuster.

[10] Maxwell, J. C. (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and people will follow you. HarperCollins Leadership.

[11] Hill, N. (2020). Think and Grow Rich: The Original Classic. Third Millennium Press.