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What Does Leadership Mean in this Economy?

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I Just Finished a Course on Leadership and Change – Here are my thoughts on the subject in retrospect…

I was really looking forward to this class and I was not disappointed. I have strongly held convictions on what leadership means and what it doesn’t. It is my opinion that “leadership” as a term is not only difficult to define but that it is also served poorly by the very organizations that need it so desperately. As a case in point, one has to look no further than the economic mess that our country is in the middle of at this time.

I will preface these comments with my conviction that the nature of free-market economies requires corrections – however difficult – as a part of their natural course. However, economics and its vagaries are not isolated from human behavior. Markets are made up of people and people impact economics as the market provides opportunities. However, similar to the famous “dot.com” boom, the popular version of this economic downturn shows that visionary leadership can be atrociously lacking to the point of intelligent people ignoring fundamentals of economics and business that are older than Hammurabi’s code.

We hear the news daily, those close to us are affected by the present reality, and the ground we are standing on seems mushier than it has for a long time. I am 50 and don’t recall this level of despair. However, it is my opinion that leadership, real leadership, is happening at this point of time that will teach us a lot in retrospect. I’m looking forward to hearing success stories as leaders – and I’m not thinking global or national political or economic leaders – took stock of the storm warnings and committed to paths that brought their organizations through this challenge in a way that points to doing leadership the “right way” and not the “expedient way”, the “opportunistic way”, or “following the herd”.

This kind of leader is out there. We are not hearing about them now because their heads are down and they are leading based on values that transcend politics or economics. They are leading with a commitment to their employees, their customers, their suppliers, their community, their family, and – yes – their board of directors. They will make tough decisions based on their best instincts, knowledge, and experience. They will make mistakes, own up to them, and make more decisions with mud dripping from their faces. They will look into the eyes of those that are counting on them and they will go to bed at night after facing themselves in the mirror and sleep soundly, knowing they are doing their best given the circumstances based on values that transcend their singular self-interest.

Accordingly and finally regarding my thoughts on leadership and this class, if my opinions are strong it is vital that I understand the subject. This course has given me a good deal of grist for the mill. The perspectives of scholars that I looked to in my research , the students in this class, and the professor are not always mine but their contributions to my education, values, and knowledge stand firm as important building blocks to fostering and participating in leadership as a disciple of the kind of real leadership that our country needs so desperately.

It’s been a pleasure. Thank you all!

John