Managing Leadership^®

The question is: are we going to continue confusing the cause of our problems for their cure?

The “leaders” specially cultivated and commended to us by the modern leadership movement as uniquely capable of perceiving the future and showing us the way to it, failed. But not merely that: it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the calamities besetting us now are precisely the product – perhaps an inescapable one – of their “leadership.”

The dynamics set in motion by the arrogant presumption of leadership by some and the abject surrender to it by so many others created an operational and moral vacuum into which we all were inevitably and insensibly drawn. Is the solution to the mess thus created, then, to again submit ourselves to yet a new generation of such figures, equally inscrutable and, so, equally unaccountable?

Why would that be, exactly?

We will examine this large topic using the general model proposed last week in our discussion of organizing arguments for public presentation. We begin, then, by examining premises – this can be surprisingly revealing in and of itself.

See you tomorrow!

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Today’s tips: The reflexive hubris of some presumptive leaders, at whatever stage of development, can be quite stunning. Please see the Pai Mei Guy’s reaction to one example of this: the now infamous MBA ethics oath. In this context, he refers to two reviews of Henry Mintzberg’s “Managers not MBAs,” one by me and one by Eric Nehrlich. I recommend the book and Eric doesn’t, although he agrees with its thesis; I highly recommend a reading of his incisive, tightly-reasoned and -written review.

There are other seasonal, thoughtful, and reflective examples out there, though. One of these has a unique ability to integrate a wide-ranging curiosity and creativity into a seemingly inexhaustible source of engaging, thought-provoking and uncannily relevant ideas, all the more humbling for the genuine humility with which they are offered. Please stop over to see the advice Eclecticity has for managers today. While you’re there, be sure to scroll around. Then subscribe.

Finally, you are definitely going to want to visit Great Leadership for the current Leadership Development Carnival. Dan McCarthy, the host, begins the show with some suggestions for how to enjoy it that I followed, and that I happily recommend to you.

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And speaking of subscriptions, ours here are always free! Why not subscribe by email or RSS reader now?

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Technorati Tags: leader, leadership, premise, hubris, development, Pai Mei Guy, MBA, ethics, Henry Mintzberg, curiosity, creativity, humility, Eclecticity, manager, Great Leadership, Dan McCarthy, Eric Nehrlich, Leadership Development Carnival