1.3 The Leadership Challenge

Throughout history, leadership has truly been the key ingredient in ventures that have reached beyond the norm to something greater. Leadership has been especially fundamental for those ventures that have endured in the long run.

When you look at some of the most remarkable organized efforts that have emerged over time, you will likely find they succeeded because of an individual. Someone who had a dream and was filled with energy, passion, and persistence. Someone who knew how to inspire others to help make that vision become a reality. Someone whom others wanted to follow because they trusted that together they could create something of significance.

For example, in the middle of a quiet desert town, there emerged a now-famous Shakespeare theatre. People travel from all over the world to attend classic plays and to be entertained by actors. This effort has grown and flourished in an unlikely small town in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. When asked how this small community became the host to an internationally known Shakespeare theatre, most would admiringly answer with the name of its founder, Fred C. Adams. Adams was undaunted in his belief that something great could be created. He was relentless in his drive to see his vision realized. With courage, fortitude, and a twinkle in his eye that exuded his love for the arts, he realized his vision through decades of faith and hard work. Now others have caught hold of Adams’s dream and are carrying his torch forward in the wake of his advancing years.

Do We Need More Leadership?

Is there a need for more leadership in today’s ever-changing and global environments? What types of people and skill sets are needed to create and sustain extraordinary organizations? “Traditional managerial skills, such as financial acumen, manufacturing expertise, and marketing prowess, are important ingredients in most organizational success stories but not sufficient for organizational transformation and sustainability. [The] focus on the most critical element—leadership—[is needed] as organizations are challenged by an increasingly competitive environment.”1 Given this, what skill sets are most lacking in organizations? Do companies need more financial acumen, manufacturing expertise, or marketing skills? Organizations can always use more financial and marketing skills, but there is even a greater shortage of talent in one key area—leadership.

Leadership Shortage

One concern in many companies is that there is not enough leadership in all levels of their organizations and not enough leadership bench strength to turn to when existing leaders depart. We understand the difficulty of leading change in an era of constant change and uncertainty. Yet, if leadership is at the core for successful endeavors to grow and survive, then we have a leadership challenge indeed. That challenge is to develop greater leadership bench strength at all levels of our organizations, even though we live in a global economy with unprecedented advances in technology. The leadership challenge is real and becomes even more important as we think about the critical needs of individuals and societies throughout the world. The challenge is significant as leaders attempt to enlist followers who want meaning in their work rather than just a paycheck. One of our great challenges, then, is to create more effective leadership within others as they work to make a difference in their homes, communities, organizations, and societies.

Developing Personal Leadership Skills

One of our great challenges may be to develop leadership qualities within ourselves. Perhaps we can identify times when we had moments of greatness and feel a desire to replicate these more often. The purpose of this leadership course is to help you step up to the leadership challenge and develop greater leadership qualities within yourself. These will include not only classic leadership abilities but also leadership skills that are critical to working with and through people, such as empathy, humility, and basic emotional intelligence.