Business: The Leadership of Yesteryear

In these unprecedented times leaderships' confidence has taken a serious blow with the population. Leadership is not seen as trustworthy or as "good stewards" of the American people. Instead they are seen as self-seeking politicians and CEO's who have gutted the Country's future opportunities in the mad rush for power and wealth. As the bailout has demanded the American population has paid its hard earned money to save those who have taken from their pockets in the first place.

Business leaders must redeem their positions in the U.S. if they hope to maintain the power and support of the people. For many centuries, and perhaps longer, business and government have been closely tied together. Business leaders and government officials have nearly been interchangeable as well as closely tied. However, these relationships are slowly being made aware to the public.

With the advent of the blog, independent news stations, social networking sites, and video sites the American population has become more knowledgeable and more skeptical of government and business. One can see the change in government policy such as Sarbanes Oxley, campaign finance reform, and political donations. The future holds much more changes as the American population wants the same access to the American Dream.

What does this all mean for leadership? It may mean that leadership will need to become much better servant leaders then they have in the past. Such leadership will be expected to be patriotic, loyal, kind, and better stewards of society. The people want to see leaders who have earned their positions and not simply given them due to their family's social status. They want to believe in their leadership if they are expected to follow them.

Leadership is nothing without followers. The power comes from the ability to direct and control the efforts of many men and woman. Therefore, leaders are most effective when they have a group of followers who believe in them. If the followers' do not believe they will either undermine the will of the leadership or work in their own self-interest. Thus, leaders must inspire and motivate the work population to follow them.

The U.S. may be headed for some tough economic times. With globalization pitting society against society more will need to be done with less. Without strong leadership it is doubtful the American population could must the coordinated effort to overcome these problems. Therefore, as society begs for more direction those that can fulfill these wishes will be given top positions in the business world and the government.