Leadership Development’s Epic Fail

Most leadership development programs have a critical weakness — they view leaders as sets of competencies, not individuals. The work of University of Chicago professor Linda Ginzel shows how this can change.

Eric J. McNulty

May 1, 2017

The arc of our understanding of leaders and leadership runs from the few predestined heroes of Thomas Carlyle’s “Great Man” theory to a leadership development industry that trains millions and generates more than $14 billion in revenue annually in the United States alone. As much as the growth of programs and budgets has democratized the expectations of leaders and leadership development, the idealization of leaders from Carlyle’s days remains enshrined in complicated charts ...