Common Sense Leadership: Evidence From Senior Leaders

The purpose of this study is call for further academic conversations into how to recognize common sense leadership as it relates to the 21st century organization. This qualitative study was performed from July 29th through December 7th, 2010, which involved 26 participants from across the United States who were identified as senior leaders in their organization. These executives indicated that common sense leadership is a multi-pronged approach that requires flexibility to address both the needs and desires of the organization in conjunction with those of the members of the organization. Participants concluded that common sense decision making requires a sense of morality that sometimes supersedes organizational performance and profitability. Finally, study participants strongly believe that employee motivation that encompasses goal attainment and decision making, through a sense of morality, are important benchmarks in being a common sense leader.