Want To Develop Better Leaders

By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL

By  Rob Wright

I met one of my academic mentors, Dr. David Frew, D.B.A, while pursuing my MBA at Gannon University. His areas of expertise are management and organizational behavior and thus, why I asked him to participate as a member of Life Science Leader magazine’s editorial advisory board. As a visiting professor at Mercyhurst College’s graduate organizational leadership program, Frew continues to educate future business leaders. As January is National Mentoring Month, I wanted to share the thoughts on one of my mentors and a simple but effective approach to developing future leaders.

Failure To Notice
“After more than 40 years of teaching adult working professionals who are pursuing master’s degrees, one phenomenon continues to astonish me,” says Frew. “Otherwise bright and ambitious people, when presented with relatively ordinary new thinking from the world of leadership and management, continue to be astonished in my classrooms. I get responses such as ‘Never heard of that,’ or, ’Where did you get this crazy idea from?’ when I have asked these midlevel managers about concepts such as transformational leadership or emotional intelligence,”

Self-Development Not A Priority
“So how does an organization filled with midlevel managers who are not reading the latest stuff about leadership thrive in a competitive market,” asks Frew? “When overworked and stressed out managers go home and watch “Dancing With the Stars” on television instead of reading about the newest business concepts, they put themselves and their organizations in jeopardy. I have listened to the excuses for decades. ’We’re tired of management and leadership. We want to watch football!’”

The Learning Organization
MIT’s Peter Senge addressed this problem in his book, The Learning Organization. “In his work, he notes that the only sustainable strategic advantage an organization can ever have is its ability to perpetually transform itself through learning. When asked about the very normal proclivity of most managers and leaders to avoid exposure to the cutting edge ideas of their worlds of business, Senge notes that the responsibility to stimulate learning and discussion lies within the organization, itself. The simple addition of a book club type experience at work can make a significant difference in transforming an organization. People who actually read and discuss new ideas with each other, and then make an attempt to apply them at work can make a powerful difference. I highly recommend the new biography of Steve Jobs, possibly after reading Senge’s The Learning Organization,” he concludes.

Echo, Echo, Echo
I echo his advice. During my lunch hour, I always try to take the time to sit and read an educational book. Doing so has helped me generate ideas for articles and blog posts, as well as improve my own personal development. Reading a little over lunch or while exercising in the morning works well for me, because I too have been known to decompress in the evening with a little television. With quality programming like “Family Guy” or “Raising Hope” can you blame me?