WorkWise: Opportunity knocks for tomorrow's leaders

People of all generations don't want to lead, according to an online survey by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad, the North American staffing subsidiary of the $24 billion global Randstad Holding nv. Survey participants include 2,199 employees and 833 managers at least 18 years old working full time in companies or in their own businesses. A good component of the group consists of employers with six months or more of experience in HR strategic planning. A full 52 percent believe that there is a shortage of qualified managers in their companies. Forty-five percent predict the trend to continue. What's holding people back?

FORCES

One deterrent to leading comes from the news, according to leadership psychologist Susan Battley of Battley Performance Consulting Inc., on Long Island. She cites a range of factors:

— business failures;

— executive compensation and greed;

— lack of role models for younger workers;

— the Madoff scandal; and

— growing awareness of the risks inherent in leading.

Battley also maintains that "the fear of responsibility, unpopularity and/or failure" may stifle impulses to lead. Hidden behind the first is a fear of loss of control and of being evaluated on the performance of others.

Organizational psychologist Paul Damiano of Good Works Consulting in Summerfield, N.C., indicates that entrepreneurism is cannibalizing the pool of potential leaders. "We have an independent and autonomous society," he says. "People have the freedom to work independently. They can make a living working out of their livingroom. Their economic success isn't dependent on being a leader." He refers to the independence technology brings, the broken contract between employer and employee, and, for many, the replacement of a formal structure for networking needs by the community and social media. Damiano and Battley agree that people have become attuned to the fact that doing all of the right things no longer guarantees success.

Damiano points out that a sense of being unqualified for specific tasks rather than the whole of leadership may motivate people to avoid leading: planning strategy, conducting performance reviews, budgeting and doing financial forecasts. "Ironically," he comments, "the discomfort (trumps) management issues — planning, organizing, controlling, directing, the traditional factors."

FORGE AHEAD

Randstad reports that just over 51.75 percent of people surveyed — 68 percent of the most senior workers alone — don't want to lead. What if you view this as an opportunity? How can you develop leadership qualities and traits?

First, take note of how you've already been managing. Think of projects you've managed, teams served on where you guided co-workers through glitches and communicating interdepartmentally as well as up and down the organization. Then:

— Be inspired that "the primary way leaders develop is through on-the-job experience, finding ways to change the nature of their job internally, learning from the experiences and applying them to higher levels of leadership." (Damiano)

— Identify your style of interacting, whether you tend to be extraverted or intraverted, and whether you can handle lack of popularity. (Battley)

— Strengthen your ability to motivate yourself, feel and show empathy toward others and be resilient. (Damiano)

— Identify and obtain skills needed for a formal leadership role, whether supervisory or team management. (Battley)

— Persuade others in the company and outside to help you. (Battley)

"It takes a community to build and sustain a career now," Battley comments. "We're all responsible for our careers. Develop a personal advisory board to access the smarts of others. It's also about having outside peer groups to turn to."

Damiano observes that if you work in a company with a weak system for developing leaders or one that doesn't support formal leadership, get on a board or volunteer to run a group of any kind, whether civic, religious or a network community.

Dr. Mildred L. Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2009 Passage Media.