Leadership Gap

It is hard to argue that our world is not moving at break-neck speeds. One can simply look at the technological advances in cell phones over the past five years to see the effects of our advances. It is hard to keep up with the current trends, market shifts, and the latest-and-greatest gifts of technology.

It is in this whirlwind of advancement that we are in dire need for effective leadership. First of all, we need to stop trying to define the parameters of leadership in the traditional sense of "follow me to the promise land!"and focus on the some key elements that comprise today's finest leaders. These elements include honesty, ability to delegate, superior communication, confidence, commitment, and probably most important... the ability to inspire.

Nick Obolensky's book Complex Adaptive Leadership poses a few questions in the first chapter to help the reader recognize a growing rift in the cultural attitudes when pin-pointing good leaders and bad ones. Allow me to offer my thoughts to his questions:

• Has your own attitude to leaders changed in your life, and if so how?

I am fortunate enough to have had some amazing examples of leadership throughout my life. However, the moment I joined the Navy my concept of effective leadership took a nose dive. To me a leader is someone who has knowledge and experience and are willing to share them. They reach out to people and make them better. They can rally the troops towards a common goal. Leaders rarely take the credit for a job well done and always take the heat for failure. In the Navy, on the other hand, earned leadership takes a side seat to the awarded leader, and not always are those in leadership positions the best, most qualified people for the job.

This was a culture shock for me to say the least. I grew up with stories of Patton, Eisenhower, Chesty Puller, and Stromin Norman. Not once in my Navy career have I seen a leader exhibit the qualities that set these men apart. I have seen a few good examples of good and decent men (which might be a close relative to a fine leader), but nothing that would inspire me to venture "once more into the breach, dear friends".

Therefore, my attitude has changed drastically towards what it means to be a leader. However, from these experiences I can say, with no uncertainty, that I know what type of leader I don't want to be.

• If we take as a starting point the attitude to those in authority/leaders as held by your grandparents, and then look at those attitudes held by your parents, and then by you, and then by the younger generation, is there a changing trend? If so, what is it?

My grandparents grew up in the Great Depression. What jobs were available didn't require a high degree of education, and most were happy to have a job at all. This created a power struggle for those people in management (leaders) to constantly portray the facade they were better than you, and thus deserving of such a position of leadership. Hey, if it comes to my family eating or starving I would be the best yes man around.

My parents on the other hand grew up in a much different world. The attitude towards authority took a few left-hooks on the jaw bone between the 50's and 60's (I'm not sure they remember much of the late sixties/early 70's). Women made their push into the work place and the status-quo was changed. There were still a lot of roots entrenched in the corporate structure for the earlier generations, but they weren't as hesitant to speak their minds against people and policies they didn't feel were right. They may have questioned a lot of things, but their actions were still on the timid side.

My generation seems to have a much more lenient attitude towards authority, leadership, and what is culturally acceptable. Heck, if you're not still living at home on Mom's couch after 30 you are doing ok. As a generation, if we don't like our boss, our job, or relationships for that matter we are more apt to just walk away than stick it out. And as far as the next generation of Americans... (in the voice of my Pop-Pop) they are leading the country into the very gates of hell.

• Why do you think this has occurred?

Of course these are all generalizations, and the future generations are not in fact leading us into hell. But, it is safe to say that as older generations retire and new ones emerge in the workforce the attitude towards authority and leadership will continue to change. This is the way our world works... constant change. But no matter how much change takes place the core foundations of good leaders remain the same (and in some cases is probably amplified). Great leaders are honest, delegate well, communicate effectively, are confident, are committed, and above all inspire those around them to be better individuals.