Leadership: just a 'Jurassic Lark'?

As usual, I read my son and daughter a bed time story last night. It was about dinosaurs. The hero, a friendly iguanadon called Aladar (who happens to speak perfect English) chances upon a herd of other dinos fleeing a volcanic eruption. The herd is led by the "mean leader" Kron.

Kron revels in the role of leader. He loves the power it gives him over the destiny of others, and the feeling that the herd depends on him. It inflates his ego and gives him licence to do things he would not do otherwise.

Irritated by the old, the young and the weak, Kron urges them on faster and faster. "Leave the slow ones" he tells the others. "We should not all perish because they cannot keep up!" He has a point. With hungry "Carnotaurs" quickly catching up, why should everyone be at risk because the weak can't defend themselves?

But Aladar has other ideas. "We cannot leave them" he cries. "We must protect them." And so he stays behind, finally leading the stragglers to safety and in the process winning eternal adoration and loyalty from the rest of the herd.

So, what's the message I took from this?

Sometimes leaders get so caught up in the job of leading, they forget that first and foremost their responsibility is to serve the emotional, physical and intellectual needs of others.

I see many executives consumed by strategy, worrying about stock price or 'managing' key stakeholders. These things are important. But leaders have (or should have) an array of talented people around them to help do these things successfully.

Sadly I see too few making the time to get out and connect with their people - all their people - to make sure they are 'keeping up with the herd'. The problem is they don't feel this is a valuable or justafiable way to spend their time. Instead they delegate it - usually to human resources managers - and in doing so give away the single most important job they have.

I'm on the look out for leaders who, like Aladar the friendly iguanodon, know what it really means to lead. Do they exist? Or is the corporate world simply full of old dinosaurs?