Leadership Crisis

According to National Leadership Index poll results released by the Harvard Kennedy School, Americans’ confidence in the country’s leaders remains below-average for the third consecutive year.  Could it be the leaders screwing up?  Is it just perception or do the numbers add up?  What are we lacking?

Seems Like Everyone is Doing a Terrible Job….

Almost everywhere we look, we hear someone bashing a “leader” in an office that they oppose for the benefit of a cause or party that they are involved in.  We look at a blog making fun of Obama’s speech flubs as they root for the Republican Party.  Even within the same party, we read (as someone roots for Rick Perry on another blog):

One of the highlights of the debate was the opening spar between Rick Perry and his competition in the race, Mitt Romney. After Romney slammed Perry for not having much private sector experience, Perry retorted back that Romney did indeed do a great job in the private sector, but as Governor of Massachusetts, Romney created less jobs in 4 years, than Perry did in three months in Texas.

Lack of Courage?

Leaders of the past had their flaws, but they were courageous and decisive, and could communicate in ways that made it clear what they stood for.  It is hard to see what leaders really think because they have SO MANY PEOPLE to please.  Many people talk about flip flopping leaders.  Will someone be able to “carry a title” if they do not please people.  The Harvard Business Review Blog article entitled Where Have All the Leaders Gone? gives us one reason.

Leaders often hesitate to do what they think is right. Instead politicians seem to base their policies on polling trends, while corporate leaders worry about the reactions of analysts and traders. In contrast, respected leaders drive towards a longer-term vision and find ways to handle the speed bumps along the way. 

A leader may have courage, but if they don’t please a certain group, they may just stand alone.  In a world of loud opinions, easy access to express your feelings to the world via internet, well capitalized lobby groups, and many other vehicles, it may take a lot more courage to stand for what one truly believes is right for the whole vs. a single constituency. In a blog entitled, Great Leaders Wear Big Hats we read:

Political leaders are elected, appointed, or promoted on the basis of positions that resonate with their constituencies. And often, to be re-elected, politicians feel that they need to stay faithful to those positions. But what many leaders don't understand is that they also have a responsibility to do what's best for people who did not elect or support them, but whom they represent anyway.

Most importantly, wearing a big hat takes courage — since it means venturing into new territory, not worrying about popularity, and possibly making decisions that are good for the enterprise but not for you personally 

These are but a small portion of issues that face our leaders/world today.  

What will inspire confidence in our leaders?  

Who is a leader that you admire and why?