What kind of leaders are we developing?
The Most Powerful Leaders in the West...?

What kind of leaders are we developing?

To paraphrase Gandhi (and Zhou En Lai) "What do you think of Western leadership?" "I think it would be a good thing..."  

It has been one of the most unedifying and unpleasant episodes in the political history of two major Western democracies. First Brexit; now Trumpit. Both of these campaigns have been characterised - and ultimately 'won' - through the performance of the most destructive forms of leadership we have seen in some time. Both campaigns relied wholly on marginalising and demonising minority and vulnerable groups, identifying and then vilifying them as 'outsiders'; and both campaigns abandoned any pretence of using rational thought to build evidence-based arguments ("I think we're all sick of experts") using instead rhetorical tricks and dog-whistle politics to galvanise support.

As desperate as I think this will prove to be for the most vulnerable and poor in both our societies, it makes for 'interesting times', for an academic interested in leadership and change.

So what this is telling me about leadership (and leadership development). And what (on earth) are we to do about this? Clearly, we have not moved away from our attachment to the charismatic leader figure. Trump, Johnson, Farage became easily photoshopped poster boys for any version of dissatisfaction - against the 'out of touch political elites', the impact of austerity policies, rapid social and technological change, globalization* (*delete where applicable/add your own here). That these three, in particular, are themselves larger than life representations and beneficiaries of these very things is conveniently ignored. It's the form of leadership that finds the parade and rushes to the front of it. It's a form of leadership practice taught in many business schools for over thirty years. From 'leadership 101' to MBAs, topics like Influencing Skills; Selling a Vision; Inspiring & Motivating; The Transformational Leader teaches the skills they have deployed. (I strongly commend Dennis Tourish's book The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership for a thoughtful explanation of where we are now).

It's time for us to take a long hard look at what business schools are doing (and selling).

1. The world IS complex. Such simplistic leadership may win in blunt instruments like referenda and elections; but it will not navigate us through the volatile, uncertain, emergent times that follow. The post-Brexit shambles illustrates this most clearly. The work is still to be done and will be done through a whole heap of different practices - negotiation, collaboration, compromise - by people exercising leadership in very different ways.

2. Leadership is inescapably gendered. It is impossible to interpret Trumps victory over Clinton as anything other than a triumph of masculinity. From the subtle - expressing leadership in terms of strength, control, fighting, winning, through to the blatant - belittling women's biology and straight up gender violence, misogyny was a core and deliberate tactic of his campaign. But we rarely talk about this in business schools. The neo-liberal version is this: if we fix women through 'development' and teach us how to play in the game better, we will find our way up the organisation pyramid - if we're good enough. And if we don't, well....

3. Our sources of information are - counter-intuitively - becoming narrower. The fourth estate - the media - is more powerful than ever. It has largely adopted the same leadership practices as the PosterBoys: find a parade and sell copy to the crowd. And the more you can call out the parade, the more copy you can sell to it. That our main media is currently in the hands of a wealthy elite, with their own shadowy interests, who benefit directly from globalization and austerity politics is - unsurprisingly - under-examined. When we are now bombarded with 'opinion' via social media, a fair, transparent media which helps us make sense of the noise in a balanced, reasoned way, becomes more important than ever. In social media platforms, it seems we only talk to and hear from 'People Like Us', creating a self-referential cycle of assertion, acceptance, amplification. Marketing and branding have become substitutes for evidence and reason. It is the opposite to good theorizing, in which we put our best work so far out there for critical appraisal and challenge and improve our human knowledge as a result.

It's time for new versions of Leadership and Executive Development. Here is my (draft) manifesto for change.  

First we need to stop focussing on developing leaders and build leadership across whole systems. We need to engage, not split; enquire, not advocate; empathize, not demonize. When people are disconnected from the institutions there to serve them, they stop trusting them. When people feel they have no voice or are not heard, they shout louder or walk away. When people feel powerless, they turn against others with even less power. A form of leadership that involves, connects, listens, thinks, feels, acts needs rebuilding and nurturing in all our human systems.

Second, we need to draw on transdisciplinary theories and practices and value serious theorizing. Hero leader biographies litter the leadership book stands. The mainstream leadership bodies of knowledge are untroubled, largely, by evidence from other fields - community engagement, conflict resolution, feminism, politics, sustainable development and so on, spending much more time on the conventional, 'objective' and abstracted stuff like economics, marketing, finance. We need to connect across theory and practices to challenge and then strengthen our work.

Finally, we need a serious dose of Critical theory and practice right at the heart of leadership development.  Critical Practice examines closely issues of power and politics; it requires us to inquire into our own mindsets and assumptions about how the world works; to consider issues of voice; participation; interests. People still talk about keeping politics out of organisation leadership. Leadership is deeply, inescapably, fundamentally political - all the time, not just in Political institutions. Whose voice counts? How are resources shared and used? What is just? What is fair? When we pretend it isn't, we push the politics behind the scenes and out of scrutiny. And then people like Farage, Trump and Johnson - rich, privileged, elite, political operators - get to stare at the camera wide-eyed and 'genuine' and we believe that they are 'telling it like it is'. Misogyny, racism, bullying goes unchallenged. Understanding gender, race, class, religion, sexuality need to be on the leadership agenda.

For a safe, fair, just, peaceful, sustainable world, we cannot carry on like this.

It is obviously a flawed electoral system - both in the UK and US, probably all over the world, that would even consider a candidate for any kind of leadership role, but especially in politics, who has no 'proven track record' (as we call it in the business world), of being an empathetic, and caring individual, who refrains from the usual demagoguery, but also the voters who think this isn't important as you mentioned, who are fed up of experts.

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Mark Lawrence

Strategic HR, Learning & People Analytics, Op Modeller and Data Strategist, interested in the Future of Work

8 年

I like this article for many reasons, Sue, thank you for sharing. There are a couple of thoughts I have on this issue, however, which you may find encouraging and/or food for further thought. Firstly, I think that you have identified some very concerning trends, but personally, I see these as symptoms of a deeper underlying economic challenge. History teaches us that, at times of economic problems, radicals from the fringes obtain greater momentum and support and I think that we are seeing this same effect today. Secondly, as a relatively recent graduate of a business school, I want to point out that the problems you suggest exist with leadership development do not correlate with my own experience - we spent a lot of time focusing on issues of diversity, as well as corporate and social responsibility. Such issues are promoted, further, by groups such as Net Impact - of which I served as Vice-President during my MBA. I do think it's appropriate and correct to raise these topics, to ensure the correct focus is maintained, but I want to offer some glimmer of optimism at a time that all seems to be spiralling downwards. Economics tends to work in cycles, as does political theory and, unfortunately conflict. These forces are both creative and productive, but in time, out of such disharmony, beautiful things may grow.

Paul Redwood

Director, Redwood Learning Limited

8 年

Have look at Barry Oshry's latest blog: https://goo.gl/xDeVJU It eloquently explores the oft occurring dynamics and dangers of We (the good) / Them (the bad) relationships.

nicki page

EcoAmbientesWorld. HarmonyHaciendas. sustainable hospitality develop. operations Co Founder. In Harmony CEO Founder CSR Wales to the world [email protected]. Marketing Strat Comms commercial Consulting

8 年

I have recently returned to my home in wales after actualising my entrepreneurial abilities in Dubai having landed their with a job as Director of Marketing and Business Development for a luxury hotel group PLC in 1998 - I saw there in the raw what a true leader can do and not do - I saw what a true leader allows to happen and what he doesn't - I followed the leader and became one myself in my own business with my own money invested; leadership needs to be clearly identified ie what leadership and where; to teach it I think one needs to be it - to have felt it in ones DNA as otherwise its academic and stays within the protected confines of universities or towers of learning. Leadership in a new nation, one without rules in many ways, one where there is no rule book or if there is one, one doesn't understand it due to language or culture or religious law is challenging - but thrilling. I can vouch for that now back in Penarth from the sands of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Arabia. I have many tales to tell and lessons learnt to share with your students if you would like to give me a platform maybe I could muscle up the nerve to talk to help students of tomorrow - leaders of tomorrow nicki

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Wijnand Kamerman

Owner @ Alletun BV

8 年

Political leadership is not about philosophizing on some new transdisciplinary theory but about giving something back to someone who has lost something and (above all) putting public interest above business interest without the slightest hint of conflict of interest. In Europe the former president of the European Commission (mr. J.M. Barroso) is now chairman at Goldman Sachs International now you can accuse the so-called anti-movements of being populists when addressing this issue in upcoming elections or you can teach the new leaders that even the ignorant and deplorable are not without wit and are to be taken seriously. Hopefully in the future it will release us from idiots like Trump. Sitting back in your ivory tower of self-proclaimed wisdom will most certainly not do the trick. Only 24% in the U.S. are graduated that’s not to be blamed on the new populists. Mr. Trump did not win. The people choose.

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