The Attribution Myth misrepresents leadership as little more than a process directed by the leader and, in this view, outcomes are attributable mostly to that leader. We see this myth in action when we adjudicate what success and failure should be laid at leaders’ feet, and when leaders’ followers demand too much of them. As a result, our typical framing of leadership neglects the many other factors embedded in the leadership ecosystem. We overstate the influence of individual leaders, and neglect that the real agency in leadership is bound up in a system of followers.
