The Bull Market in Leadership Books: A Product of Many Needs?
There is no shortage of explanations for what seems to be a current bull market in writings about leadership, according to respondents to this column.
Charles Cullinane attributes it to the economic and national insecurity that "has the free world searching for 'leaders' who will show us a way of regaining what we have lost." Another reason for such insecurity, Reinhold Gerbsch proposes, is "the increasing rate of change in the marketplace." Citing an old Buddhist saying, "When the pupil is ready, the master appears," Daniel Harrara suggests that "People need something that gives them safety and answers to their questions."
On another note, Roseanne Landay attributes the current supply of writing on leadership to the fact that during a slow economy, "many companies ask themselves 'how can we do more with less' ... through better ... leadership of (especially people) assets." The timing of this "bull market," Chris Wolfington writes, may be accounted for by "the wave of managers who were hired at fast growing startups into leadership positions they were not qualified to occupy."
Larry Hulsmans concludes that the phenomenon "continues to be driven ... by our natural tendency to look outside us for a 'silver bullet' solution ... Part of the problem lies with us and our fast-paced world where reflection, connection making, and dialogue rarely occur."
What about the future? Tammy Doty takes the somewhat pessimistic view that "There has always been and will always be a dearth of quality leadership ... because self-interest continues to drive human conduct." But Mark Horstman suggests that this doesn't insure a continuation of the current deluge of writing. He says, "Will the bull market last? No. Will it create a market for new ideas, some of which will stick ...? Absolutely."
These comments provoke several questions. As leaders, do we need to plan more time for reflection on what we do? Are we better off spending more time in self-reflection and less time searching for answers from others? Or are there "best practices" of which we need constantly to remind ourselves through reading and dialogue? Is this especially true now? What do you think?