Learning Leadership

IntroductionThe World Needs Exemplary Leaders

There's a leadership shortage in the world. It's not a shortage of potential talent. The people are out there. The eagerness is out there. The resources are out there. The capability is out there.

The shortage is a result of three primary factors: demographic shifts, insufficient training and experiences, and the prevailing mindsets that discourage people from learning to lead.

Currently 25 percent of the global workforce comprises millennials (those born between 1981 and 1997), and in some countries that number approaches 50 percent.¹ By 2025 estimates are that millennials will comprise 75 percent of the global workforce. At the same time as their numbers in the workplace are growing daily, organizations around the world do not feel that they have an ample leadership pipeline to meet present and future needs.² An alarming 86 percent of respondents to the latest World Economic Forum survey think there is a leadership crisis in the world today,³ and most companies are seriously worried about their leadership bench strength.⁴ The demographic shifts are simply creating demand for exemplary leadership that exceeds supply.⁵

If the need for leadership development is great, then why is the pipeline nearly empty? Part of the answer comes from research conducted by leadership scholar Jack Zenger. He looked at his worldwide database of people participating in leadership training and found that their average age was 42. However, the average ...