A633.1.2.RB - Leadership Gap

Our text insightfully begins with some interesting questions to ponder, the first being has your own attitude to leaders changed in your life, and if so how? In my own experience I have often aspired to be a leader, and because of that respect that I have held dear to authority, I have always been one to be comfortable following the lead of other. Ultimately, I know that when I lead I want others to respect my authority so I grant the same to others leading myself. Though, now that I am a business professional, and not a captain on my track team, I realize that leadership has more to do with empowering a team to be leaders themselves then to follow the authority of one individual.

The next question was whether there is a perceived trend in the attitude towards leadership by my grandparents, parents and myself. I can comfortably share that my grandparents were much more apt to simply follow the decisions made by their leadership then my parents and myself. I think that my parents and myself are in work environments where creativity and sharing ideas is prioritized over following the authority of one individual. I think this is a cultural shift, and has a lot to do with the type of work that was done by my grandparents versus the type of work my parents and myself do.

Looking back at my grandparents careers, a seamstress, a housekeeper, an electrician, a janitor, and a business owner, besides the business owner, my grandparents were in labor intensive positions, where there was clear expectations on their inputs and outputs. On the contrary, myself being a marketing consultant, my role has a much larger emphasis on my creativity deciding my inputs and outputs rather then it being pre-established by leadership. These career differences and the clear emphasis on creativity and autonomy that our current culture values are what I perceive as reasons as to why this shift in attitude towards leadership has occurred. As our points out, younger generations seem to simply have less respect for leadership as it seems that it is no longer assumed that leadership is more capable then ourselves (Obolensky, 2016).

There is an apparent gap in the quality in our leaders and all of the information and learning available on successful leadership practices because there is a lack of education and prioritization on the strengthening leaders as leaders. I personally have had the honor of being led by a well versed leader, not only was she a great marketer and an expert in my industry, but she also was a practiced leader as she prioritized leading the team effectively, over just the outcomes and demands of the day to day. I have also had a leader that was skilled in the industry, but not as a leader, and she cut corners in priorities like professional development opportunities and team empowerment. I think it ultimately comes down to education, and creating the time and capacity to prioritize leading effectively.

Reference

Obolensky, N. (2016). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty. (2^nd  ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.