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Third Generation Leadership: Now!

Written by: Douglas Long

Article Overview: What I really like about Gen Y is that they invariably demonstrate an openness and authenticity which enables them to demonstrate congruence, unconditional positive regard, empathy and a willingness to learn from others

Third Generation Leadership: Now!

Almost 20 years ago I commenced the research which resulted in the 1998 book "Leaders: diamonds or cubic zirconia". This research provided me with 8 factors or facets of leadership (hence the name) which people in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan saw as being crucial to leadership. People in these countries didn't claim that they saw these factors in their own leaders whether political, business, religious, or social - but they made the point that these were the factors they would like to see.

The first of these factors was Self Confidence.

Self confidence doesn't mean being brash, aggressive or offensive. Much of the bravado and swagger we see today in those who are often touted as leaders, has little if anything to do with self confidence - rather it is self promotion and self aggrandisement. The behaviour of the leaders of organisations that were bailed out during the Global Financial Crisis was an excellent example of this: they saw themselves as victims when, in the main, they were the perpetrators.

Self confidence means having a realistic sense of one's strengths and weaknesses coupled with a determination to make a positive contribution to one's world wherever and whenever possible. It means expecting to be respected as a person in your own right regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, colour, race, language, religion, or any other discriminating factor - and it means providing exactly the same respect to everyone else.

Over the years the worth of a person has been abused with the (still prevailing) perception that one's worth is tied up in what one "has" or "does" rather than in who one "is". This is how we have developed the cult of personality so loved by popular magazines and TV current affairs programs. This is how we have developed the plethora of opinionated, biased, and often offensive radio talk show hosts who ridicule those with whom they disagree and who can stir up feelings among their followers to a dangerous stage. Leaders are seen as those with money, power, position, and public profile.

When I ask people who they consider to be leaders, invariably I get the usual suspects trotted out - mainly because it takes little thought to give a name that is well known (especially if there has been recent positive media coverage of that person.) However, every now and again I receive names that are totally unknown - often family members and friends who will never have a high public profile but who have had a significant impact on the person with whom I am speaking. When I quiz people about such choices, invariably I find that their nominated leader is perceived to be legitimate, effective, and efficient. Legitimacy refers to doing the right thing-how does what the leader is doing reflect the over-riding moral responsibility of the organisation. Effectiveness and efficiency then follow as measures of how well the leader is carrying out his or her role in furthering the organisation along the path of making the over-ruling moral concern (ie the true vision or purpose of the organisation) a reality. The nominated people are seen to be people who demonstrate:

• Congruence between what they say and what they do - they eschew facades and try to be themselves
• Unconditional positive regard to everyone with the ability to make a clear distinction between the person (who is always acceptable) and their behaviour (which may not be acceptable)
• Empathy - a willingness to 'walk in the other's shoes' so that they can understand how and why the other feels about the issues being faced
• A willingness to learn from others - to see others as 'equals' rather than as subordinates or superiors

What I really like about GenY is that they invariably demonstrate an openness and authenticity which enables them to demonstrate congruence, unconditional positive regard, empathy and a willingness to learn from others.

I'm rather excited by Gen Y. I like the authenticity I see - even if it is often confronting and means I have to make personal adjustments. I remember back to when I was a teenager and young adult and the subterfuge I and my friends used in order to do that with which our parents disapproved - it was a world where, at times, partial truths were preferable. It was a world which clearly perpetuated the pattern of previous decades in which the only crime was really in being found out - and then, usually, only because parental disapproval could be enforced by far more positional power than is the case today.

In this new world I see the seeds of openness and harmony. Sure there will be serious questioning of the status quo in every area of life including religion and politics. There will be vehement disagreements and arguments - that is healthy. But, hopefully, it will be a world with far less hypocrisy and cant than the one my generation has made today.

Welcome to the Third Generation Leadership world.

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Article Tags: authenticity, congruence, empathy, Gen Y, third generation leadership, unconditional positive regard



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