The accepted truth about pirates is that they elected their leaders and shared in the spoils. Implied in the second part was that they wanted to enjoy the spoils.
In modern practice, this reflects principles of servant leadership. The crew members needed what the spoils would bring. The chosen captain was accepted as the best for providing for this need.
Mitch McCrimmon, Ph.D. critiques servant leadership with some flawed arguments. His argument boils down into two areas: 1. Serving your subordinates' needs means catering to their desires. I.E. becoming their butler. 2. Developing your subordinates is a management activity, not a leadership activity.
Allocating time for training is a management activity. Measuring performance is a management activity. However, employee development is much more then a collection of management tasks. Convincing employees that development is important is a leadership activity. Creating a vision of the possible is a leadership activity. Self development is a leadership activity. The leader sets the example of what people can become; this is a leadership activity. Teams must grow or die. For a team to grow, the members must develop and the team must develop. The leader has the duty to ensure the team grows. This is leadership.
I am sure pirate captains were not butlers to their crew. They realized the authority the crew provided them was to be used to provide for the entire crew's needs. Select decisions would have been unpopular to the crew or to individuals, but this was not a concern. As long as the decisions were generally understood, successful, and provided for the needs of the crew, the captain would retain his authority as leader.
The Pirate Leader is empowered by the team to make decisions for all because the collective individuals trust that the chosen leader will be the best at creating an environment that will satisfy their needs.
Additional Reading:
Journey to the East by Hermann Hesse (1932)
Microcosmographia Academica by F. M. Cornford (1908)
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