Why are Great Leaders a Scarcity?

Comparison between leaders in the industry and leaders from different generations are not unusual in various professions.  In these comparisons we see how leaders from certain generations are revered for their leadership skills. However, the question arises, how many current leaders do you see in your list? If there are not that many, does that really mean that the current generation of leaders, for the most part are not on par, or is it something else? Here is my take:

The context of Leadership changed over the decades, as has the context in which we are measuring it. According to the MIT Leadership Center "the history of leadership theory started with an emphasis on traits -- the notion that it is the make-up of the leader that makes all the difference." We all try to understand what makes a great leader and what leadership is, but the concept remains amorphous. Traits alone do not always predict the effectiveness of a leader.  In my opinion here are some contributing factors:

Integrity - While the definition of Integrity remains the same (fortunately), the interpretation of it changed vastly. Things ranging from IP conflicts, Poaching of talent, pay compensation practices, presenting success in a way that pleases Wall Street, to the basic thing about conflicts of interest all changed in a way that blurs the lines between what is good from bad. I cannot refrain from referring to the Google vs. Oracle lawsuit here. The CEO's whom we regard as game changers in their respective industries and other leaders from these two companies all tried to present things that suited their company even while there are hard facts suggesting the other way round.

So why is this a contributing factor? Trust is an inherent part of leadership. At the heart of a leader is the basic human principle of Integrity.  "Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes". And Leadership Integrity is the key to influencing. Integrity and Purpose go hand in and hand. We have seen many democratic revolutions across the last century. If you take the existing leaders leading these in various countries and compare them with Gandhi, Dr King etc., there is a difference, and that is purpose. Integrity with purpose changes the outcome differently.

Communication - While we learn about this basic tool right from our childhood, I think as we get older and attain positions of leadership we either misuse or underuse it. Both have a varying degree of effect negatively on the organization as well as its customers. In my opinion there is nothing like over communication. It is just an interpretation.  As long as leaders make it a habit to communicate in such a way and within a reasonable time frame that it reaches the audience before they hear it thru other means (which may not be the full truth in most cases) and begin to form opinions.

Over the last year we have seen security breaches in various companies. The reaction to the breach and the communication strategies from the leaders of these companies with their customers is all over the spectrum of the communication graph across speed & accuracy. It tells you a lot about the leadership & company you are. Truth cannot be hidden for long in most cases. It eventually comes out in one form or the other. And don't you think it is always desirable to hear it from your leader?

Innovation & Culture - There is a reason why I clubbed Innovation and Culture. While both of them are very different in many ways they are intertwined more than we know. Innovation does not happen in vacuum nor could it be turned on and off in reaction to a pressing need. Like Culture it has to be built from ground-up in the organization. It does not happen overnight and failures initially are a common theme. And the culture of a company plays a major role too. So how is this a trait of a great leader?

I have seen, listened and heard in numerous occasions about Leaders talking about Innovation. From the limited knowledge I have, I can clearly differentiate the difference between Leaders who mean it and the leaders who say it for talking points. Have you ever heard Steve Jobs talk about his company's products? Very few world leaders can garner the kind of attention he used to during his product launches. I see passion and a desire in his eyes, actions and words. This happens only if you mean it. Not taking names, but if you compare this with a slew of ads we see every day talking about how innovative they are; Changing the color of a product is not innovation nor is it innovative to just imitate someone by calling it incremental innovation.
Most companies spend 70-90 % of their resources on existing IT/R&D/Resources. Current product is what brings revenues but once the product matures and competition closes on with the technology what is your course of action? Unless you keep innovating in parallel you will not be part of the next big wave in your industry. IBM as a company still exists for a reason... Continuous Innovation.

So on my closing notes what I want to see from existing leaders is a reset. A reset of their mind-set, reset of their purpose and a reset of strategy. While we all desire change we have to understand that it starts with yourselves.