Leading the Privileged and the Attribute of USEFULNESS

Today I consider myself both a Typical as well as an Atypical American.

How did I come to this conclusion and how does this relate to the title of this essay?

How I came to this conclusion.

After listening to too many talking heads and reading national newspapers this past weekend discussing the news story of the year involving a former United States President, and a long-awaited Hush Money trial verdict, I was drawn to a need to do some therapeutic research.

I quietly researched the recent past in terms of how we, as Americans, see ourselves and what appears to undeniably be the future of organizational and societal leadership.

During this research I came across a 2015 Pew Research Center finding reported by Samantha Smith titled?“Patriotic, honest and selfish: How Americans describe Americans”,? which stated the following:

The public gives the?typical American?a mixed assessment when asked about specific traits. Most (79%) agree that the term “patriotic” describes the typical American very or fairly well, and majorities also view the typical American as?honest?(69%) and intelligent?(67%).

I am sure that most of the thousands of individuals with whom I have worked for, worked with, and led during my 34-year career in corporate America (within companies like Honeywell, Motorola, MedContrax, and Wells Fargo Bank) would agree that I am?honest?and?intelligent.

Thus, this is how I concluded that I am, a typical American.

My conclusion of being an?Atypical American, followed a deeper, but not misaligned, trend of thought. This conclusion surfaced after spending some time perusing the Oxford Review’s People and Organizational Research website and finding an interesting discussion on?Atypical, a Definition and an Explanation.

Now, I was moved to conclude that I am also, an?Atypical American, after reading and studying the following thesis. A thesis supported by years of observation, study and analysis:

In the realm of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the term “atypical” holds significant importance. It refers to situations, behaviours, or characteristics that deviate from the norm or wat is considered typical within a certain context. Understanding atypicality is crucial for fostering a truly inclusive environment where diversity is not just acknowledged but celebrated.

Now, let me share with you how all of this relates to the title of this essay.

I published my second book on leadership development in 2015, titled,?“The Leadership Advantage: Do More Lead More Earn More.”

My thinking at the time, concluded that through years of research, and reflecting upon my over 15-years in senior leadership roles within some of America’s most respected companies, that I had nailed the selection of the ten absolute leadership attributes required for individuals to effectively lead any of American’s private and public organizations.

However, as I sit here today and reflect on my 71-years as an American, as well as an experienced, trained, and studied student of leadership development, I now realize the following:

“As we proceed deeper into the 21st century, those chosen to lead our companies, our organizations and our public institutions must be equipped with what will become a critical leadership skill and attribute, which is, the ability to “Lead the Privileged.”

Since this idea of?“Leading the Privileged”?is new to me, and I am sure to most of you, I will conclude this essay with the definition of Privilege I have found to date to be the most exact and illustrative.

Then, I will share with you a new leadership skill that I have coined as the?Attribute of USEFULNESS.?I hope this essential attribute will gain the interest of more Americans like me (Typical and Atypical beings) and, as a result, become a focus of academic scholars, training professionals and organizational leaders at all levels.

The Definition of Privilege.

Here is a definition of privilege as set forth by the United Way of Southeastern Michigan during its?2021 Equity Challenge Day 3 .

“Privilege is unearned access or advantages granted to specific groups of people because of their membership in a social group. Privilege can be based on a variety of social identities such as race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, ability status, sexuality, age, education level and more.

Privilege can be experienced on personal, interpersonal and institutional levels. The social, economic, political and psychological unearned advantages that privileged groups hold come at the expense of marginalized groups. Within the United States, members of social groups that hold privileges (white, male, wealthy, able-bodied, etc.) have historically held dominance and power over targeted groups.”

Now, the Attribute of USEFULNESS.

As we all know, being useful means taking actions and making decisions, which contributes to helping to do or achieve something.

The something in question when discussing effective leadership skills and attributes, is “How can I, as a leader, be most useful in achieving my organization’s goals when it involves the omnipresence of human, organizational and institutional privilege.”

Just as I mentioned in my book,?“The Leadership Advantage”:

“While all of the leadership attributes I studied could be described as worthy leadership traits, I found that there were a couple of very distinctive and significant aspects regarding each attribute as compared to most of the others.”

Utilizing the communications effectiveness (or annoyance) of the acronym, here is what I believe are the distinctive and significant facets associated with?being an?Unflappable,?Sincere,?Entrusting,?Fearless,?Understanding?and?Loving?or?USEFUL?leader.

The USEFUL Leader is Unflappable.

The?Useful?Leader approaches difficult and partisan situations with calmness; not easily perturbed by the natural acts of human selfishness or emotional shortsightedness; understands the organizational strength & value of protecting the common good.

The USEFUL Leader is Sincere.

The?Useful?Leader thinks, communicates and acts free from pretense or deceit; leads the entire organization based on feelings, beliefs, thoughts, and desires in a manner that is honest and genuine.

The USEFUL Leader is Entrusting.

The?Useful?Leader realizes that?“it’s not all about me”;?Keenly aware that Leadership involves strategically sharing with others, responsibilities, which may impact the organization’s common good; Allowing confidants who are closer and more knowledgeable of specific situations to be a part of major decisions and solutions.

The USEFUL Leader is Fearless.

The?Useful?Leader maintains the courage to?“speak truth to power”?in difficult and partisan situations; Knows that the accumulation of power and partisanship exists in all organizational structures. Grasps the reality that the natural inclinations to favor one side or another within any organization should not be feared or ignored; It is an opportunity to gain, and to honorably share significant insights and understanding.

The USEFUL Leader is Understanding.

The?Useful?Leader takes the time to deeply comprehend as many aspects as possible about the organization, its ultimate goal, and its people?(including the privileged and the underprivileged);?This invaluable insight can become the currency, which could pay significant dividends that can be invested in the organization, and into the society, as a whole.

The USEFUL Leader is Loving and Caring.

The?Useful?Leader recognizes that being “loving”?means showing someone you care about them; When you care about someone or something, there is more of a tendency to look beyond?“self,”?and embrace a?“greater good.”

I know that?leading,?being led, as well as?living through?situations involving?privilege?and the?social, economic, political and psychological unearned advantages that privileged groups?have in today’s society can be a frustrating,?and sometimes, an?unhappy?experience.

However, we all should feel hopeful and encouraged when we recall the following quote credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

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