The Leadership Vacuum

More than ever, it seems, I'm getting bombarded by pollsters, publicists, and pundits wanting to shed new light on an old subject: corporate leadership. In these head-scratching economic times, there's a glut of opinion on how the chieftains of American business ought to be guiding their organizations -- whether it's issues affecting employee morale or the bottom line.

Just last week, I found myself in a dim Knight Center auditorium watching Civil War films with an army of entrepreneurs who were mining the battle of Gettysburg for valuable leadership tips. We won't discuss the irony of the Civil War being used as a teaching tool for Southern business people. Suffice to say, folks are game these days to take good leadership ideas wherever they can find them.

In "Developing the 21st Century Leader", a study released earlier this year by the business consultancy, AchieveGlobal, pointed out various vacuums in organizational leadership from innovation to diversity. Craig Perrin, head of solutions development at AchieveGlobal, put it this way:

"The fatal flaw of business leaders is nothing new: hubris, or the delusion that business is only business, that we know everything we need to know, that we can solve any problem resulting from brash action to gain power, wealth or adrenaline rush. I think we can agree that this mindset was certainly the catalyst that led to today's lack of trust in business."

The good news, I suppose, is that the shakeout of poor business leaders isn't over. According to a new poll by Right Management, a division of the employment services giant Manpower, half of the nation's senior human resource executives expect their organizations to restructure within the next six months. Even more, the survey says, one in five HR execs expect a change in their organizational leadership during that period.

When was the last time the company you work for has changed leaders? Are you pleased with the direction the company is headed these days? What makes your company's leadership better or worse than others? Finally, who was the best leader in Charlotte you've worked for and why?