"The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves."
J. Carla Northcutt.
professor and curriculum developer, Marietta, George
(Personally, I think there's a crisis of leadership in Canada. We have no shortage of people who like to tell others where to go, but too few leaders who get out and push.)
2 comments:
I agree entirely about a crisis of leadership. Despite the wealth of information about the characteristics of the most successful leadership they remain one of Canada's and I would say the world's best kept secrets. The problem at its most basic level is that the majority of us have little or no education in leadership and rely on the methodology of whatever we have experienced the most - often the command and control style which is least able to produce stellar results.
To initiate a Canadian culture of effective leadership I suggest requires nothing less than an introductory class at Junior High School level with more at High School and in secondary education courses. My reason if twofold. Firstly if we want this country to develop into one which is the envy of the world, we need effective leadership. Equally importantly, we need those being led to understand the characteristics of great leadership so they will gravitate to the places where it is practised.
Thanks for the comment, Martin. I think some combination of leadership/entreprepreneurship should definitely be mandatory in schools. Unfortunately, what I have learned from my kids' high school experiences is that the schools can't teach what they don't understand.
Maybe the best we can do as adults is to become and to promote the best leadership role models we can find.
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