Study: Priority Emphasis on Cost Pressures and Business Growth Doesn’t Equate to “Leadership”

Tampa, Fla., (February 1, 2010) – Business leaders still feast on the basics: strategically guiding their organizations or, more simply, spending most of their time chewing on the bottom line. But a new brew of leadership is required to avoid recent stomach-turning results, according to a new international study from training expert and business consultancy AchieveGlobal.

The global business challenges of the 21st century require more than simple business acumen. To achieve global success in the future, leaders must follow a new recipe, which includes diversity, ingenuity, people, reflection and society.

“If 2009 was the year of the economic recession, this study proves 2010 will be the year of the leadership reset,” explains Craig Perrin, director of solution development, AchieveGlobal. “The fatal flaw of business leaders is nothing new: hubris, or the delusion that business is only business, that we know everything we need to know, that we can solve any problem resulting from brash action to gain power, wealth or an adrenaline rush. I think we can agree that this mindset certainly was a catalyst that led to today’s lack of trust in business. Our study is a blueprint for fixing the broken model of leadership and moving organizations forward.”

The study, “Developing the 21st Century Leader,” provides a validated view of the modern leader’s complex role – and the beliefs, attitudes and actions required to play that role. Through comprehensive research, multi-national leadership challenges and practices were reviewed to provide a model of 21st century leadership focused on six critical “zones” of leadership: business, diversity, ingenuity, people, reflection and society.

In addition to identifying the areas necessary for effective leadership, the study also found a leadership void in terms of employees at various organizational levels (i.e. executive, middle management and rank and file). Unlike other levels of management, there was an across-the-board drop in middle managers’ ratings of importance of all leadership principles, suggesting that although this group holds tomorrow’s executives, right now they are too narrowly focused and potentially not equipped to handle new business challenges. This is also worrisome as this sector of managers is responsible for not only leading front-line people but also implementing upper management strategies.

“In order for us to avoid these same mistakes 5 to 10 years down the road, organizations need to invest in the thoughtful development of future leaders,” said AchieveGlobal CEO Sharon Daniels. “Leaders today must make plans and hard decisions to sustain long-term success. No longer can leaders simply focus on the here and now and leave the rest to be figured out by someone else. Leaders who are truly dedicated to providing their workforce, stakeholders and communities the leadership and guidance they deserve and demand must realize that only by balancing all areas can one prepare for the unexpected as well as potential opportunities.”

The study is the result of a multiphased process, consisting of the evaluation of primary and secondary sources, compilation of qualitative and quantitative data and collection of insights from leaders through focus groups and a multi-national survey. For additional information and to access the complete “Developing the 21st Century Leader” study, visit www.achieveglobal.com/leadershipreport.


Study Methodology:
The research began by identifying leadership trends documented in peer-reviewed academic and industry journals over a two-year period. Later focus-group sessions supported development of a survey completed by 971 business and government leaders and employees in Europe, Asia, and North America. Survey results in turn facilitated development of a comprehensive new model of leadership today and a related individual assessment instrument.

About AchieveGlobal
AchieveGlobal is the world leader in providing exceptional interpersonal business skills, giving companies the workforce they need for business results. In the 21st century, the level of human skills will determine organization success. Located in more than 40 countries, AchieveGlobal offers multi-language, learning based solutions - globally, regionally and locally. For more information, see www.achieveglobal.com.