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Combatting Muddled Concepts of Leadership

The scientific study of management began in academic circles almost a century before academicians turned their attention to the study of leadership. Prior to the mid-1980s only a handful of books on leadership were widely recognized. Yet bookstores abounded with books on management.

During the 20th century, however, the American workforce transitioned from a largely uneducated mass of unskilled workers to a highly educated community of skilled specialists. This necessitated a different vision of how to get the best from the workforce.

That led to an escalating interest in leadership, especially in the wake of Warren Bemis' successful books in the 1980s highlighting the hallmarks which distinguished true leadership from management.

Almost overnight, being known as a "leader&auot; became the "in thing" among younger executives. They pressed to be seen as leaders, not merely managers. However, the manner in which corporate America responded to this pressure resulted in a muddled understanding of what it means to be a leader.

This episode examines how that muddled undertanding developed and highlights three key questions which determine whether a person is indeed a leader or merely an exceptional manager who wears the title.