A633.1.3.RB- Leadership Gap
Nick Obolensky (2010) asks several questions for his exercise involving leadership. He asks how your attitude to leaders has changed in your life, how you think attitudes toward leaders today compare to the attitudes generations ago, and why do you think this has occurred. There are several explanations for the shift in attitudes toward leadership, but the biggest reason for the change is the increase in knowledge.
Looking back just two generations, one can see how leaders maintained respect and authority simply because of their knowledge. In the past, leaders were far more knowledgeable than their subordinates, and leaders had access to information that nobody else could receive. For this reason, subordinates were forced to trust and rely on leaders. Actual leadership skills and traits were less important in past generations.
Today, however, knowledge is readily available and the people in first world countries are far more educated. This means that there is not a huge knowledge gap between leaders and subordinates, which means that leaders cannot get away with having poor leadership skills and making bad decisions. Specific skills and study of leadership is necessary for successful managers and leaders today.
A gap still exists between the quality of our leaders today, and part of the reason the gap exists is that leaders refuse to accept that old ways of leadership do not work. Egos are getting in the way of progress in leadership. Many leaders still think that they are far more intelligent or possess skills far superior to their subordinates, which is not the case anymore. Leaders today must learn to harness the skills and knowledge their subordinates possess. Today’s leaders need to focus on improving their own leadership skills so that they can get the best out of their people.
References:
Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership. (1st edition.). London, UK: Gower/Ashgate
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