do we deserve boris?
Does the world deserve The Donald? And what of Presidents Macron and Putin? Characters all, for sure, but they do appear to have a particular self-aggrandising style where they need to dominate in an almost dictatorial, non-disputable manner. It begs the question do we really get the leaders we deserve?
The existing swathe of world leadership unarguably encompasses a generation whose values are driven by a desire to be seen as successful. Historically, the best leaders are mentors and recognise the value of developing and nurturing both those around them and within the greater society at large, whereas the current crop are egotists and appear mired in determining, and increasing, their own self-importance. Embracing the trappings of success as self-promotion has resulted in a distinct ‘L’Oreal’ approach to their own reward: Because I’m worth it.
The ‘war for talent’, arguably invented in the latter part of the last century by management consultancy, McKinsey, sought to convey there was a genuine shortage of leadership talent. Consequently, countries and organisations had to compete for this talent, and they’d certainly have to use the skill and quality of the management consulting firms that had identified, targeted and recruited it. Oh, and you’d have to pay for it. Political leaders have used this form of argument for a greater share of the appropriated power and the more time spent in the spotlight the more this self-propagates.
Within the commercial world this often translates to a greater financial reward: a larger slice of the profit-pie. The financial crash of 2007/8 was brought about by the banks and investment institutions either explicitly operating to immediate short-term revenue and profit goals, blatantly at the expense of both sustainability and the fair treatment of their actual customers. It is argued that there can be no other way within a largely capitalist system but is there such a thing as ethical leadership?
Managers have staff and expect them to serve their interests at the mere command. By contrast, leaders have followers and expect to serve their constituents’ interests. Following this logically, then the choice of leader will be contingent on the needs of their followers. Leaders are granted their authority provided they apply it to the interests of their followers. In accepting this relationship, leaders need to be self-aware but not narcissistic, balanced, transparent in their dealings and relationships and need to be seen as having a strong, fair and equitable moral compass.
Authentic leaders will consider the ethical consequences of their actions and should, by default, act in a socially responsible manner. However, our current tendency to ignore the validity of shared interests and collective purposes, combined with our simplistic modern disposition to frame issues and situations as ‘crises’ that necessitate knee-jerk ‘command’ actions taken by the guy at the top, undermines attempts to adequately change the leadership process. Until it does, I think we can conclude that yes, sadly, we do get the leaders we deserve.
