A633.1.2.RB - Leadership Gap

On October 29, 1941 Winston Churchill gave a profound and inspiring speech at the Harrow School. Churchill said "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”(Never give in, 2016). I have pondered on this quote by Churchill for quite some time and how it relates to leadership.

My attitude towards leadership has changed as I have grown in life. I have learned to be a leader from life experiences, mistakes and achievements.  From a young age I was taught to be honest, confident and be committed to my dreams. Not giving up on your values and dreams just because they are difficult is what I strive in life. Leadership is more than just leading a group of individual, but is to empower and motivate your subordinates.

According to Obelensky (2014) “leader needs to put in place certain key principles so that the organization being led can become self-leading “ (p. 101).  A study by the Center for Creative Leadership (Leslie, 2009) found that today’s leadership capacity is insufficient to meet future leadership requirements. According to the study, the four most important future skills are; leading people, strategic planning, inspiring commitment, and managing change (Leslie, 2009).
There is a gap of current leaders not being as skilled as they should to effectively manage the current challenges (Leslie, 2009). The challenges that our grandparents and parents faced are different from what our generation is facing. This has to do with the advances in technology and the complex effect it has in today’s global market. Obolensky (2014) describes that advances in technology have caused more uncertainty “The more we know, the less certain things become” (p. 16). Uncertainty has become a driving force in decision makers and it has become a constant challenge, which leaders must overcome.

I believe this occurrence or movement is due to our dependency on technology and not on the fundamental of leadership. For example, how many managers can write a letter without a word processor and why so many people will choose to send e-mail when the individual that you are sending e-mail to is sitting right next to you.  I agree that gadgets such as cars, phones, and computers have all been created over time to make our lives easier and more efficient. But are we leading because a computer tells us to or are we leading because we want to see a movement of growth and sustainability in our organizations. The gaps in leadership can be closed if leaders focus on training and investing on the next generation of leaders. Training leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow is a key factor to the development of leaders.

Change is inevitable and technology is an integral part of our daily life. As leaders we must be ready to tackle the challenges we face and pass our wisdom to the next generation of leaders. In order to lead we need to be flexible and adapt to our changing environment. Growth is a vital part of leadership and we must be ready to accept the responsibilities it brings. As leaders we must equip ourselves for today in order to lead for tomorrow. 

Reference:

Leslie, J. (2009). The Leadership Gap. Retrieved January 17, 2016, from http://www.hreonline.com/pdfs/02012010Extra_CLCStudy.pdf

Never Give In. (2016). Retrieved January 17, 2016, from http://www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/234-1941-1945-war-leader/103-never-give-in

Obolensky, N. (2010).  Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty.Surrey, England: Gower Publishing.