Why we need a new leadership culture

As technology influences society and we learn more about ourselves as humans, there is a greater need to understand and develop ways of more effective leadership.

The evolution of leadership

As social creatures, we have historically bonded together and formed small groups. These groups then became tribes which then became clans and with the advent of agriculture; cities, nation states and empires.

But as groups become larger, there tends to be a trend towards hierarchy and leadership, although not in all cases. There are likely a few reasons for this:

1) A chaotic world and external threats demands unity and leadership. If another group is organized and led they can easily conquer a divided sum of people. In these times, people look to strong figures that can help them survive. When these individuals can also provide a compelling explanation of the world and a vision for the future they become elevated as leaders.

2) In a scarce world, the division of labour allows for unparalleled productivity gains. But this comes with a price - this division necessitates that somebody will need to coordinate, represent and facilitate the activities of the group. And it is these same people who are able to capture the gains of the majority through trade, politics and commerce.

3) Dominant males seek to assert themselves over others to access both mating opportunities and resources for themselves. This behaviour is seen not only in humans, but also in many other primates. This dominance also acts as a form of law and order - the threat of violence combined with a known hierarchy keeps the peace.

Power, profit and ego

The above reasons are likely the root causes of leadership, but as the complexities of human society evolves, so does the hierarchy and the motivations behind it. This combined with biological traits such as the survival instinct, fear and greed have created a leadership culture that has evolved around three things: power, profit and ego.

Power

Before we evolved international market based trade, resource acquisition was more a matter of power and organization. Whoever wielded the biggest stick, was smarter and more organized had a better chance of surviving group conflict. This desire to aggregate and assert power explains a large part of political and military history - much of which has inspired contemporary leadership ideas.

This aspect of leadership is rooted in conflict - there is an existential threat to our existence as a group and it is only through unification and leadership that it can be defeated. In any case, a narrative and vision of the future is created which provides a supposed promised land in relation to current conditions.

Profit

Aside from the power structure of nations and kingdoms there was a new dynamic competing in the world - global trade and the profit motive.

This has impacted our culture and leadership style in different ways:

• Downsides of the risk - As the investors have the potential to lose their investment, there is a strong incentive to ensure mistakes are minimized, people are kept in check and there are no risky gambles being made. This imperative of the investor is then passed down and relayed throughout the whole company.
• Greed - Through the recent social engineering of a consumer culture and aspirational lifestyles, many people in society are dancing to the tune of ‘getting ahead’ and competing with their peers in terms of monetary net worth. This competitive mentality sees others as adversaries, and it is particularly prevalent in traditional industries such as finance.
• Competition - Externally, a company is at threat of losing their position in the market by being displaced by competing firms. It is no secret that business is seen as a cutthroat, anything goes domain - a place where ethics, humanity and emotions have not been at the center stage.

Ego

A remnant of our leadership tradition involves something that everybody can relate to. Most people may not desire power or profit, but almost everybody on some deep level craves acceptance, recognition and a higher status in the food chain. The benefits of such lead to a higher quality of life, safety and greater self-esteem.

The elevation of a person’s status in a hierarchy comes with benefits, but if left unchecked it can have an adverse effect on a person’s ego. They may begin to feel that they are superior to others and even special - looking particularly down on those who hold lower positions. In modern organizations this can manifest in many ways.

21st century leaders

Through the traditional leadership paradigm of power, profit and ego, we see many harmful consequences manifested:

Global arms race - As people continue to struggle for power, the masses of people get divided into opposing factions - with their rulers playing to each other’s fears and hopes to gain power. We are now at a point where we have the capacity to obliterate the entire planet, yet there is still an endless race for more deadly weapons. We are stuck in an endless loop of ‘us vs them’, which are leaders won’t let us escape.

Widening inequality - The profit motive, of which some argue is the primary incentive of innovation, has dire consequences in that it skews wealth disproportionately to the top. This effect has started to hit the western world - with jobs going overseas and automation displacing workers at all levels.

Humans as disposable cogs - The leadership style of the past - amplified by the industrial revolution and consumption lifestyle - sees humans as automatons whose sole existence and motivation is to work and consume. As our collective consciousness rises, cracks in this narrative are beginning to show and leading people isn’t as simple as shouting out orders.

Through understanding how the past has influenced the presence, we can now begin to construct a new culture of leadership - one built around our shared humanity.