Does the world need new leaders?

Leadership is a commodity that never seems to be in adequate supply.

Whether leadership can be taught, or not, which is an argument that has been going for ages, the supply of leaders in business and society will probably never be enough to keep up with demand.

How do we know that we need more leaders?

The conclusion that demand for leaders cannot meet supply is derived from numerous situations where goals and results are not achieved as expected and planned, thus resulting in partial or total failure. Therefore, the main culprit to blame would – and should – be leaders who are responsible for organizing resources, and inspiring and motivating people, in order for results to be achieved; otherwise, why should they be leaders in the first place?

The role of leadership quality

In order for results to be achieved in business and society, and the world to become a better place, as an effect, we don’t need a lot of mediocre leaders. Instead, we need a couple of high-caliber leaders who have the drive, stamina, wisdom, and ethical standards to lead the pack towards sustainable prosperity.

Qualities such as persistence, endurance in difficult times, the ability to perceive the emotions of others and correctly identify the challenges and requirements that arise from different situations, along with constant adherence to a solid ethical code can certainly make a difference between iconic leaders and leaders that people wished that they had never risen through the ranks.

Can we have a world without leaders?

In fact, in cases when we search for capable leaders to persuade us to move from point A to point B, in order to achieve the relevant results, we look for nothing other than an improved, idealized version of ourselves.

As soon as we fail to discipline ourselves and get the desired results, we start thinking that we would be better off under the auspices of a charismatic leader, and then, we decide to give up our personal freedom of choice and decision, either partly or totally, to a person whose superiority we recognize.

It is highly doubtful whether we can have a society without leaders, because, one way or another, we implicitly acknowledge their importance and role in making up for our own shortcomings. After all, leaders have existed even in primitive societies, and therefore, we simply delude ourselves if we think that modern extremely complex societies can operate without them. It is rather the qualities of leaders that determine the worthiness of their existence.

Possible problems with new leaders

I believe that there are two major obstacles that emerge in the process of discovering new talent and promoting it to leadership roles.

The first obstacle results from the fact that “new” talent may not be exactly that, i.e. new. Whether we like it or not, we carry with us old ideas from previous generations, even subconsciously, and these ideas can be very hard to identify and get rid of. Actually, the principles of leadership are as old as man himself, and thus, there is not really much room to discover “new” practices and methods in leadership, unless we can completely wipe off the past and erase common memory from our mind, which is something that not many people can do.

The second obstacle refers to the fact that this limited number of people who have indeed the ability to start afresh and write the new rules of leadership may not be willing to undertake this task. Leadership is a double-edged sword, and there are countless cases of perfectly capable, effective, and ethical leaders who did not escape public criticism and condemnation. Therefore, I believe that we need to radically change ourselves, rather than new leaders altogether.

Sources and further reading:

3 key drivers for the regenerative leadership we need

Why our world needs a new kind of leader

The next type of leader the world needs

The world needs leadership right now, and it has to come from people managers

Why the World Needs Generative Leaders