We Don't Need More Leaders, We Need Better Ones

Most business leaders around the world are not good leaders... They aren't bad people, but their approaches to leadership are simply put...obsolete. We can especially see this quite clearly with what has been going on with Black Lives Matter, COVID-19, and the ongoing fight against racism and social injustice. To give you an analogy, it's a bit like trying to fly a modern-day passenger plane while being trained on an original Wright Brothers plane. There's a chance you might get the plane in the air, but you won't go far. Leadership around the world is failing us. Consider some of these sobering statistics take from my book, The Future Leader: 80% of employees say they can do their jobs without their managers and say their managers are not even necessary (Ultimate Software and Center for Generational Kinetics). Almost half of 2,257 survey respondents said they could do their jobs better than their boss (Randstad). 60% of employees have left or are considering leaving their jobs because they don't like their direct supervisors (Randstad). 50% of Americans have left a job at some point in their career to get away from their managers (Gallup). In the UK, nearly half of British workers believe they could do a better job than their boss and 13% actually said their bosses are dangerously incompetent at their jobs (Independent). Only 15% of employees around the world are even engaged in their jobs (Gallup). According to a survey of 25,000 leaders around the world done by DDI, only 42% of organizations said that the overall quality of leadership inside of their organizations was high. Only 14% of organizations have a "strong bench," which is ready-now leaders who can step to replace those who retire or move on (DDI). Half of the organizations surveyed by DDI say their leaders are not skilled to lead effectively today and 71% say their leaders are not ready to lead their organizations in the future. CLEARLY something is wrong with leadership around the world otherwise these statistics wouldn't be as terrible as they are.  All of the human indicators are telling us that we have a problem yet most organizations and leaders are doing nothing to correct the problem. Imagine for a moment that you are driving a car and in the middle of your trip as your speeding down the highway, the "check engine" light comes on, followed by the tire pressure warning, the low fuel light, and the battery light, all while your car temperature indicator is in the red. Now imagine your whole family is sitting in the car with you. Are you really just going to keep driving along? I hope not! Yet here we are, and the business world is on cruise control but the scary part is that we are all sitting in the same car! In the United States alone there are around 25 million supervisors and managers today, these are people who are responsible for others. I estimate that by 2030 we are going to have around 220 million leaders around the world. That's a lot of leaders! We have lots of people in leadership roles but unfortunately, many of them are bad leaders, there's just no other way around it. But, their days are numbered because the way that we think about leadership is changing...Leaders Must Change. Leadership is not about making the most money Leadership is not about a rank or title Leadership is not about playing office politics to get the top. Leadership is not about being friends with other leaders who will promote you. Leadership is not just about staying at the company for a long time until you get promoted. Leadership IS ABOUT putting people first Leadership IS ABOUT being able to influence change Leadership IS ABOUT making other people more successful than you Leadership IS ABOUT rallying people to build a better world Leadership IS ABOUT YOU! Being a leader is the hardest job in the world but it's also the most rewarding. Everyone in the world has the potential to become a leader, even if you're a leader of self. The first step towards becoming that leader is making the conscientious choice that you are willing to get out of your comfort zone and do whatever it takes to positively impact your community, your organization, your people, and yourself. Are you ready to take that first step? What does it take to lead in the future of work? For my new book, The Future Leader, I interviewed over 140 of the world's top CEOs and surveyed nearly 14,000 employees in partnership with LinkedIn to identify 4 crucial mindsets and 5 essential skills to lead in a post-covid world. "Whether you're a current or future leader, this book is one that you should read and keep near you." Ajay Banga, CEO, Mastercard. Click here to grab a copy for yourself and your teams, you'll be glad you did! Get the latest insights on Future of Work, Leadership and employee experience. http://futureofworknewsletter.com/ Let's connect on social! Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmorgan8 Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacobmorgan8/ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jacobm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FuturistJacob