One of the greatest\u00a0statesmen of the 20th\u00a0century was Sir Winston Churchill.\u00a0As\u00a0the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he helped to lead the world to victory during the Second World War. Churchill\u2019s career was instructive.\u00a0When he turned 25, he was elected to parliament and began his career as a statesman in the House of Commons.\u00a0Despite an aristocratic background, lacking\u00a0a prestigious list of backers to\u00a0vouch for\u00a0his talent,\u00a0Churchill had to earn public recognition. As a leader,\u00a0he possessed the\u00a0necessary\u00a0capability to inspire and empower other people. Today, thumbing through the pages of his books, I try to\u00a0glean\u00a0insight from both his decision-making skills\u00a0and leadership qualities.<\/p>\n
Since Churchill,\u00a0ideas about leadership have changed. Unlike in his day, social\u00a0media\u00a0plays a vital role in \u201cproving\u201d leadership qualities.\u00a0Today a person is judged\u00a0on\u00a0leadership skills based on the number of\u00a0\u201cfollowers\u201d they have, regardless of how those followers are acquired. Peter Drucker\u2019s definition of leadership\u00a0is being\u00a0literally applied: \u201cThe only definition of a leader is someone who has followers\u201d, although perhaps not in the way he intended. Today,\u00a0for a person to\u00a0present him- or herself as a\u00a0\u201cfuture leader,\u201d he or she needs to not only demonstrate purpose, the ability to empower, and a preference towards learning, but also well-known and reputable\u00a0firms\u00a0on\u00a0their CV.<\/p>\n
At the end of November, I was selected as a finalist for the \u201cDrucker Challenge Essay Award 2018,\u201d at the Global Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna. To learn and participate with guests who, like me, appreciate the contributions of Peter Drucker to management and leadership and consider his achievements of the first order.<\/p>\n
The Forum pointed out that the most important qualifications of leaders and managers are their character and integrity \u2013 a human element. The decay in social and moral responsibility, which we are sadly witnessing currently, requires the right leadership and management skills and the right priorities to restore it. The Drucker Forum made it clear: more effective leadership and management techniques as well as more morally-driven narratives will be needed in the future.<\/p>\n
However, where and how do we develop and identify these right leadership and management skills? In firms?<\/p>\n
Emerging managers, current and former presidents, ministers, CEOs \u2013 you name it \u2013 all use social media and experience at elite business schools, consultancies and other blue-chip organisations to demonstrate their leadership credentials. In turn those organisations proudly point to their CEO alumni to prove the efficiency of their leadership production lines. Yet, many of today\u2019s esteemed managerial class and leaders have been coming under increased media scrutiny for their apparent lack of essential leadership skills. Top management at Facebook, Uber and Theranos are three obvious examples.<\/p>\n
This begs the\u00a0question\u00a0as to\u00a0whether many of our world and corporate leaders are really destined for authentic leadership at all.<\/p>\n
Most certainly, experience gained in A-list companies\u00a0births both\u00a0knowledge and skills to solve complex problems.\u00a0Employees learn\u00a0to develop higher levels of conceptual capacity and to deal with difficult long-term problems as they climb the organizational hierarchy.\u00a0But\u00a0can composing PowerPoint presentations and attending workshops really teach you the true leadership \u00e0 la Churchill?<\/p>\n
High-performance companies require constant availability that leave no time for the pursuit of personal hobbies, whether it be reading, painting or correspondence\u00a0(as a winner of the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1953, Churchill appreciated the unity of poetry and art). A company culture of \u201cup or out\u201d does not encourage passion and loyalty. Having insufficient time\u00a0for\u00a0friends\u00a0and\u00a0loved ones\u00a0does\u00a0not enable a person to develop an outstanding personality; that same outstanding personality that ironically these companies require.<\/p>\n
Back to Drucker. Management and leadership are embedded in culture, history and tradition, and because it deals with the fundamental disciplines of philosophy, expressed through knowledge, and wisdom, Drucker considered management an art; an art that required the ability of drawing together knowledge from the disciplines of psychology, philosophy, economics, and history.<\/p>\n
Churchill is immortalized, not just for\u00a0leading the Allies to victory in World War II, but for\u00a0his character, foresight, passion,\u00a0loyalty, personality, determination, and\u00a0the\u00a0optimism he was able to communicate. None of these traits can\u00a0be learned\u00a0behind\u00a0an office desk. Future leaders need to redefine the meaning of leadership. Leadership is more than about working at high-ranking firms, holding titles, and having a social media following. As Churchill once said, \u201cKites rise highest against the wind \u2013 not with it\u201d.<\/p>\n
About the Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sebastian Woller is a Management professional with experience in banking, consulting, the public sector and the automotive industry.<\/p>\n This article is one in a series related to the 10th Global Peter Drucker Forum<\/a>, with the theme management. the human dimension<\/a>, that took place on November 29 & 30, 2018 in Vienna, Austria #GPDF18<\/strong><\/p>\n