Whats Missing: Leadership, The Next Great Profession By Richard Brooke

Subject: Leadership: The Next Great Profession
Date: Tue, Apr 10, 2012 12:03 pm




[1]Leadership: The Next Great Profession
Posted on Apr 10, 2012 01:00 am By Richard Brooke

_Leadership in our business is everything._

First it was a farmer. Then it was accountants and engineers. Then it was
doctors and teachers. And for a while it was the MBA. Now it is lawyers.
(There are more lawyers in law school in the United States than there are
lawyers in the rest of the world.) Throughout the short history of our
country, certain professions have been held in the highest regard and
pursued as the Holy Grail of careers. Each had its own contribution to
moving our society forward.

The contribution of farming and engineering in crafting this great country
is clear. And certainly accountants, doctors and MBAs have created their own
breakthroughs in modern day living. And yet as we look at the state of
business, politics, and education – even sports and religion – there is one
huge missing. A missing that is the source of the parts of our society for
which we are ashamed.

_Business._
It used to be that the biggest failure of business was its disregard for the
environment or its workers. Today, it has expanded to the public at large,
and especially the investors. There seems to be no bounds over which
business will cross for profits – especially personal profits for the top
executives.

_Education._
Certainly we have the best system for the elite. Yet something is missing if
most high school graduates are not able to read or write at an acceptable
enough level to be employed by a responsible business. (I know this from the
hundreds of people we have interviewed for our businesses that lack the most
basic skills).

_Religion._
Some of our biggest scandals continue to come from organized religion.

_Sports._
Our national pastime… where we have made winning so important that we will
tolerate cheating, drugging and all-out riots.

_Politics._
Suffice to ask: In the last presidential election, how did you feel about
the two candidate choices we had to lead the most important country in the
world? Did you feel like we had our best feet forward, or were they in
someone’s mouths?

_Enough cynicism. What is missing?_

Leadership is missing. A new paradigm that is born in service, contribution