Eat Sleep Work Repeat - better workplace culture To understand leadership, you need to understand identity
Oct 27, 2025
In a thought-provoking discussion, Professor Alex Haslam, a leading expert in social identity and leadership, explores how identity shapes effective leadership. He introduces the CARE model—Create, Advance, Represent, and Embed—which emphasizes the importance of group identity. Alex highlights how effective leaders should balance current and future group identities, and he argues that resonant leadership fosters team performance and cohesion. He also discusses the impact of isolation on group dynamics post-pandemic and advocates for community-driven social connections.
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Leadership Is Social Identity Management
- Leadership works by mobilizing shared social identity, not by individual authority or coercion.
- The best predictor of perceived leadership is being seen as a prototypical member of the group.
Use The CARE Model Deliberately
- Create, advance, represent and embed the group's identity (CARE) to lead effectively.
- Embed identity in material structures and everyday practices so members can live it out.
Men's Sheds Show Practical Leadership
- Men's sheds run well when leaders welcome members, help them belong, and work alongside them.
- Poor sheds have leaders who impose their past leadership and dominate rather than build the group.
