Recently I’ve seen a psychological finding in several different contexts, stating that roughly 30% of humans have an authoritarian streak – meaning that:
1) a high degree of submission to the established, legitimate authorities in their society; 2) high levels of aggression in the name of their authorities; and 3) a high level of conventionalism.
From Psychology Today
I think it’s important to understand as you begin to develop your leadership profile in front of the choir that different singers require different things.
It’s important, then, to have different styles of leaders in your community, so that everyone can get what they need from a leader.
And then recognize this: you must be the kind of leader you are. You can adopt different approaches, and adjust your approach to the needs of your singers. But you cannot change who you are to meet the needs of every singer. Because 30% want you to be an iron-fisted dictator, and 70% definitely do not want that.
So be the leader that you are, and accept that it will come with limitations.