Get Real and Get Ahead

In a period of heightened intellectual activity, I recently read or re-read several books on leadership. I was feeling troubled by many things on the political, environmental, and social scene and I was trying to find an explanation for my sense that we were suffering from a global shortage of leadership. Politicians were out trying to convince and persuade, business ‘leaders’ were rationalizing and justifying, sports heroes were evading and denying, and other notables were simply aloof and disengaged.

What is leadership? What makes for a good leader? There’s a lot of advice in books but that’s all it is — advice. Two people can read a book on leadership, but neither will become a great leader simply by reading the book. There’s something intangible that separates a good leader from someone simply “in charge of things.” So, in an informal poll (read: having lunch with several people), I put the question out there and tried to capture the essence of a true leader. I was glad to see that my colleagues in this industry agreed with me that my sense of a leadership vacuum was not just a figment of my imagination. This is what my colleagues and industry partners told me.

Sincerity – The majority of the feedback I received was that people need their leaders to be believable. Often, the sense is an oft-delivered message becomes so packaged that it sounds like a sales pitch. Politics immediately comes to mind because sound bytes and canned responses ring hollow. In business, it’s the buzzwords. Maybe at one time, it made the leader sound professional and sophisticated. Today, buzzwords seem more like a safety net when the leader doesn’t know the answer.