LEADERSHIP IN A POST MODERNIST WORLD

Leadership is always a relevant topic in any setting and sphere of life. Like everything else today it is a concept that has to be updated and developed to meet the needs of the people or to simply stay relevant. I have seen so many period movies with the ruler being carried by the subjects. Post modernism does not subscribe to or uphold this type of leadership in theory.  Yet over and over we see it pursued with romantic desire or jealousy. Let us take a quick look at the attributes of leadership in the world of business in a post modernist time with emerging industries.

Today leadership must have authenticity engrained in it. Operations, policies and personal ethos must all align to demonstrate a genuine desire to help others. Most businesses misinterpret this and offer help along with selling a product. Charity becomes part of a marketing strategy but it appears as an obvious rouse. 

The precursor to this is the practice of corporate social responsibility which for some companies failed as it simply offered a cheaper smaller sized product on the shelf. Leaders in business have to portray themselves and their companies as selfless, thoughtful and sympathetic to build personal brand and corporate brand. This is why there are so many corporate heads and business owners who are branding themselves as gurus, influencers, teachers, and life coaches.

True leaders have to be able to stand up to scrutiny not worried constantly about who they can trust. In a post modernist world marketing has developed into research analytics and data. Decisions made by leaders have to be proven successful or face an unsustainable situation which is interpreted as failure.

This means leaders have to be assessed, critiqued and questioned.  Their answers cannot be shallow, filled with jargon or PR (public relations). ‘Spin’ does not work anymore. Particularly with Generation Z. Leaders are asked to demonstrate accountability, transparency, ethics, purpose, authenticity, and logic. The public want to see a plan that is provable, ethical and has integrity.

The thinking of this era is that each of us is a leader. You can learn from others while building your personal identity. We have been so focussed on letting others lead us, we forgot that we have capacity to lead.  While there are those saying 'you are a leader', there are others saying 'you need a mentor'. In marketing and particularly for small businesses, the general practice is to use mentors and influencers. This is good because they can help you build your business.  But even this can lead to a dependency on others to make decisions. It is possible that the old ways may creep in if you do not balance this with your own confidence and development. 

As a leader you have to know how to build your credibility. Many MLM (Multi-level Marketing) companies are preachers of self development and leadership training. It works to the extent of building confidence. There is a community built around the members that helps to achieve that. But when it comes to genuine care it is lacking. This is a competitive field and there is a culture developed that is based on bringing in sales and developing a downline. This is a type of faux leadership that is trending in the MLM.   

Leaders cannot be seen as selfish or dishonest. Leadership with a main goal to getting rich or increasing money is not realistic, honest or fair. The truth is MLM is illegal in some countries like China. It is seen as a scam in many countries and when it comes to the cryptocurrency industry it is not fair. Why do I say this? It is simple. To show that the crypto is legal, transparent and regulated the MLM structure has to be down played not at the forefront of operations. There is an ‘up-line’ culture that works against stability, trust and transparency. Decisions that affect account holders made by MLM leadership does not build trust. 

Generally in MLM there is no real authority and decision-makers are often people who have sales volume but not provable know-how or qualifications to operate a business. There is no ethics if leaders are not honestly discussing this alongside future plans for the company. The leader today is held up as a personality, a performer and a promoter. In all these roles, the leader must be ethical. 

It is problematic when leaders leave the company and downlines are affected. There is doubt and the move can appear as unethical or a statement of a lack of confidence in the business. Ethics in production, promotion and operation has to be clearly demonstrated as a consideration and given importance. Here are some examples of the manifestation of selfish leadership or poor decision making:  

1. People who have integrity are used for a time to build trust using their credibility, knowledge, ideas, energy, time and finance and then usually removed or silenced or are met with false accusations. They are the ones that are seen only as helping the leader to move from point A to D.
2. People who are strong in character are usually removed or silenced, their voice is taken away, reasons are used to damage credibility and no proof offered
3. People who only say ‘yes’ to the leader are promoted and pushed in positions of influence
4. People who are knowledgeable are made to look or feel as though they are not
5. When a leader wants more power you will see every other leader ranking in front systematically removed in different ways
6. Everything has to go through the leader in question, because no one else should look successful or smarter, lots of micro-managing, or claiming other people's ideas
7. Anyone who appears to be as successful or more popular will be undermined or their support team broken up, or pulled apart
8. Company structure is continuously changed but that particular leader remains in charge

Although this list is not exhaustive, and may seem to be exaggerated, if you look you might find a scaled down version or even a scaled up version.  It is very scary the kind of people we uphold as leaders or continue to support. 

The real decisions have to be made by you. You have to cover the bases in your personal development to make sound decisions for your employees, investors and customers. Be a leader and be a post modernist in your brand and decision making. A leader cannot stagnate with the same attitude, rhetoric and strategy every year. Leaders must evolve as needed for the current situation and the future situation simultaneously. Build your character into someone you and your loved ones can be proud of. It is highly possible that you find your biggest obstacle, is you.

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