Today, the world is confronted with a range of challenges. These include terrorism, climate change and political instability. For these challenges to be solved, the globe must present a united front. Confronting these challenges also calls for effective and able leadership. Poor leadership and the lack of a clear vision are some of the causes of the challenges. That the globe suffers a short supply of capable leaders compounds the challenges that humanity faces. There is undoubtedly a need for more to be done to develop leaders. Particular focus should be given to encouraging women and other marginalized groups to take up the leadership challenge and provide direction.
Areas addressed in leadership development
It is true that leadership development programs vary. While some programs seek to challenge individuals to confront the problems that society faces, others seek to develop the personal attributes, skills and perspectives of leaders. Despite these challenges, a number of common issues are typically addressed in leadership development. Enhancing the performance of an organization is among these issues. More and more firms are investing in leadership development programs with the aim of equipping their leaders with the skills and perspectives they need to steer the organizations in the right direction (Soske & Conger, 2010). In addition to addressing how to enhance organizational performance, leadership development also focuses on emotional self-mastery and self-awareness. The world is increasingly becoming complex and leaders are facing challenges in their efforts to navigate these complexities. Leadership development provides them with the insights and skills that they need to provide direction while keeping their emotions in check. Self-awareness also enables leaders to understand their place and to align their personal values with the culture of the organizations that they lead.
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Effective employee management and understanding how humans function are other areas that leadership development typically focuses on (Williams, 2013). The business environment is rather volatile as there are different parties who pursue competing interests. The modern leader needs to understand how different people work and the role that such forces as culture play in shaping the behavior of employees. This allows them to effectively run employee-related operations. Overall, leadership development programs today focus on providing leaders with the perspectives that they need to steer their organizations in environments that are becoming increasingly globalized.
Specific issues in women and minority leadership development
Women have struggled in their bid to gain recognition and representation. In the United States, an overwhelming majority of top leaders are women. That the US needs to develop leadership development programs that target women is not in question. These programs should also aim to develop the leadership skills of minority communities. The programs should also address specific issues that affect these communities. The unique challenges that the women and minorities face are among the specific issues that leadership development focuses on (Hewlett, Luce & West, 2005). Women and minorities encounter a number of challenges that range from difficulty in accessing opportunities to victimization and abuse. It is important to develop leaders who will speak on these issues and demand better treatment for these communities. Leadership development attempts to do this. Mentorship is another issue that leadership development among women and minorities focuses on (Farrow, 2008). Given their disadvantaged status, women and minorities lack models and examples to emulate. For this reason, leadership development provides mentors who guide the women and the minority communities. Leadership development also explores the unique strengths that women and minorities possess. These strengths are then tapped to inspire the women and the minority communities to develop solutions to the challenges that they encounter. Overall, leadership development programs that target women and minorities seek to empower and embolden them so that they are able to demand justice and equality.
In conclusion, the world faces numerous crises that demand urgent solutions. Leaders need to rise up and provide solutions. It is very unlikely that the current crop of leaders will provide lasting solutions given that these leaders have a record of inaction and poor leadership. Focus should be given to developing new leaders who are passionate about addressing the issues that the world faces. Women and minority groups should take center stage in leadership development.
References
Farrow, L. (2008). The Experiences of Minority Women Leaders as Mentees in U.S. Organizations. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 1 (2), 25-42.
Hewlett, S. A., Luce, B. C. & West, C. (2005). Leadership in your Midst: Tapping the Hidden Strengths of Minority Executives. Retrieved 25 th July 2017 from
https://hbr.org/2005/11/leadership-in-your-midst-tapping-the-hidden-strengths-of-minority-executives
Soske, T. & Conger, J. A. (2010). It’s Time to Focus Executive Development on Real Business Issues. Retrieved 25 th July 2017 from https://hbr.org/2010/06/time-to-shift-the-paradigm-of
Williams, R. (2013). Why Leadership Development Fails to Produce Good Leaders. Retrieved 25 th July 2017 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201310/why-leadership-development-fails-produce-good-leaders
