[April 2, 2016] If I recall it correctly, my second grade teacher told me once that I needed to do a better job at empathizing with others. This was over half a century ago when good conduct was considered an asset and before U.S. President Bill Clinton told us “I feel your pain.” And now we see people demanding empathy of leaders. Is this a new future leadership asset?
Most successful leaders always look for ways to gain the confidence of their followers. My ponderings on future leaders and their leadership styles is largely based upon after-hours’ discussions with many other senior leaders while discussing this very issue. Some of us have observed both change in leadership styles along with standards for measuring leaders.
The topic about the evolution of leadership is not new and remains worthwhile because it brings our attention to the needs of people and better ways – more effective ways – to get tasks completed. Here are some of those ponderings about future leadership … in no particular order:
| Greater Emphasis on: | Less Emphasis on: |
| 1. Empathy and understanding | 1. Trust and honesty |
| 2. Authenticity | 2. Technical competence |
| 3. Racial and sexual identity | 3. Morality and religiousness |
| 4. New Communication methods | 4. Relevant experiences |
| 5. Political ambition | 5. Record of accomplishment |
| 6. Divisiveness | 6. Formal education |
| 7. Catering to special classes of people | 7. Character and personality |
| 8. Personal wealth | 8. Coaching, mentoring, and teaching |
| 9. Creativeness and Innovativeness | 9. Reputation |
| 10. Showing compassion | 10. Sense of duty |
While some of my friends have disagreed with my “ponderings,” there is no one who seriously studies leadership that can deny such trends are taking place. A question I’ve been asked is whether the fundamentals of leadership are changing or if such a trend is more a reflection of stylistic alternatives. I honestly don’t know the answer and frankly no one knows because only time will tell.
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Note: For a good book on this topic see: The Future of Leadership: Today’s Top Leadership Thinkers Speak to Tomorrow’s Leaders by Warren Bennis (editor) or just Google his name and read some of his articles.