I read a great article by Darren Walker, who is soon to be the retired President of the Ford Foundation, in The New York Times, "There is no leadership without risk". His opening statement is profound in both its truth and its implication: "There has never been a more difficult time to lead anything..." As I have stated in a number of recent posts, we live in a world characterized by the acronym VUCA, i.e. one that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Walker suggests that at a time when leadership is needed the most, individuals are asking legitimate questions such as "Why would I even want to be a leader?" He calls it a "gathering crisis of leadership" and further suggests that the societal and cultural norms today often "discourage the courage that is essential to effective leadership."
Walker further states that "courageous, moral leadership...challenges us to recognize that bringing light is often worth enduring the heat, especially in moments of profound challenge" like what exists today in our VUCA world. We need leaders who are not afraid to embrace complexity, leaders who are not afraid to take risks. Leadership in our VUCA world requires courage, and as Walker ends his article, "No courage? No leadership. We cannot move forward, however unevenly, without courageous visionaries blazing new paths that illuminate the way for all of us to follow."
No comments:
Post a Comment