The Leader as Mirror: Clinical Reflections

Starting with a literary example, the nature of “mirroring” is reviewed in the context of human development and linked to leader-follower interaction patterns. It is argued that mirroring is needed for establishing and maintaining the boundaries of the self. Depending on the nature and quality of the developmental interface distortive mirroring patterns may come to the fore. Using a case example, it will be demonstrated how, particularly in situations of crisis, leaders can easily turn into mirrors reflecting what we wish to see. This can create an illusory form of reality and in the process endangers the organization.

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