What are some of the emerging leadership theories and models in the 21st century?

Underestimating the role of followers: CLT emphasizes the importance of leveraging the collective intelligence and diversity of followers to achieve adaptive and creative outcomes. However, some professionals might focus too much on the role of leaders and not pay enough attention to the potential contributions of followers. This can lead to an undervaluing of the skills, knowledge, and perspectives that followers bring to the table, which are critical components for fostering innovation and change.

Neglecting the importance of context: Some experts might fail to consider the significance of contextual factors in determining the appropriate balance of leadership types. CLT recognizes that different situations may require varying degrees of administrative, adaptive, and enabling leadership. It's important to recognize that the effectiveness of each leadership style depends on the specific context, rather than assuming that one type of leadership is universally applicable.

Emphasizing one type of leadership over the others: While each of the three types of leadership—administrative, adaptive, and enabling—has its unique purpose and importance, some professionals may focus on one type over the others. This can lead to an incomplete understanding of CLT, as the theory emphasizes the need to balance and integrate all three types of leadership for effective organizational functioning.

In my experience this works remarkably well. Being your authentic self as a leader has an element of vulnerability which younger millennial and Gen Z teams appreciate. It can allow for more transparent communication and faster awareness of any potential issues within a team or organisation!

Disregarding the potential drawbacks: Authentic leadership has numerous benefits, but some experts might not acknowledge the potential downsides or limitations of the theory. For instance, being too transparent with one's thoughts and feelings may sometimes lead to negative consequences, such as unintentionally demoralizing followers or revealing sensitive information. Additionally, the emphasis on self-awareness and self-regulation might lead some leaders to become overly self-critical, hindering their ability to make decisive actions.

Neglecting the importance of context: Some professionals might not consider how situational factors and organizational culture can impact the expression and effectiveness of authentic leadership. It is crucial to recognize that authentic leadership may manifest differently in various contexts, and an authentic leader must adapt their approach to meet the unique needs and challenges of their environment.

Overemphasizing the role of individual traits: While personal characteristics such as self-awareness and integrity are indeed essential for authentic leadership, some experts might focus too much on these individual traits. This could lead to the misconception that authentic leaders are born, not made. In reality, authentic leadership is a developmental process that involves continuous self-reflection and growth.

An important aspect of servant leadership is optimizing the environment to enable 'individual' success. This notion is hard to grasp for the more traditional leaders who view team success as above individual success or sometimes team success as what will naturally drive individual success. This is an idealistic view. In most organizations, each individual has their own, very self serving goals. Its often the conflict of individual goals and the overemphasized team/company goals that creates unhappy and unmotivated team members. When a leader is able to enable the 'individual' success of everyone in their team, it creates a fully aligned environment with a high degree of team loyalty and productivity.

The future of leadership entails democratizing power. Old school leadership models are rooted in hierarchies as a way of maintaining power and control. But some of the most effective organizations leverage others’ leadership abilities, regardless of their classification on the org chart. Organizations taking a DLT approach recognize that leadership qualities need to be developed within each employee. This requires a collaborative culture that promotes an understanding that everyone is a leader, regardless of title.