The Leadership Shortage: Are Leaders Causing Their Own Crisis?

Almost 70% of HR professionals aren’t confident that their organization currently has the right leaders for the future, and only 14% are confident that their organization has identified the right people internally as high-potential talent (Korn Ferry, 2020). A recent article in Forbes was titled “3 Reasons for the Coming Leadership Deficit,” continuing this trend of an impending leadership shortage crisis.

There are certainly challenges facing the development of leaders. Over 11,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 every day in America. This, combined with a declining birth rate, is resulting in a collapsing demographic (ie, we are getting OLD). In addition, there are numerous complex challenges facing leaders today, and some younger individuals have less of a desire to be bound by the demands required of organizational leaders. But this is not new – every generation has faced their own version of “messes” and complexity.

However, I also wonder if we, the current leaders, are unintentionally contributing to the “shortage” by not creating opportunities, or a faster seat at the table, for emerging leaders. Here are some of the ways leaders may be contributing to their own leadership crisis and what to do about it.

How Leaders Are Contributing to the Leadership Crisis

1. Some leaders are driven by fear and/or pride but rarely acknowledge it.

I once heard about a brilliant leader who had built a great enterprise but believed no one else was as smart as him. While the leader was very talented, he was struggling with his own need to be needed and had an over-inflated assessment of his “unicorn” abilities. This created very little opportunity for new leaders to emerge because no one was ever “good enough.” Sometimes, the situation can be even worse than in this example – those in the old guard leadership can become snipers, constantly critiquing and sabotaging the effort of the emerging leaders. Such behavior is driven by pride and insecurity.

2. Some leaders are acting only as managers.

I once worked for someone who managed well but came up short regarding innovation and new initiatives. He focused on policy and procedure more than risk and innovation. This leadership style can create an environment where those who are visionary or innovative do not feel the freedom and support to do something new or make a change that may create some dust. Managers play an important role in an organization, but they can also unintentionally hold people back and hinder the growth of the leadership pipeline.

3. Emerging leaders sometimes fear punishment for showing initiative.

For emerging leaders to show initiative, it requires some risk. Their idea may not succeed, or they may not have followed the proper path for permission but took action because they felt it was the right thing to do. But, you can bet on this – if a younger leader shows initiative and receives a verbal rebuke, a warning, or worse, you will not see initiative again. This is not only true in organizations but in our overall society. If people want to help someone experiencing a medical emergency or being threatened but have to worry about facing punishment for any mistakes they might make, few will be willing to take that risk.

How to Expand the Leadership Pipeline

So, what can today’s leaders do to expand the leadership pipeline?

1. Take a self-examination.

Medical professionals regularly encourage us to do self-examinations in case we find something out of the norm that needs to be dealt with. And, if you are an experienced leader who feels that you are living with a leadership shortage, it’s always good to look in the mirror. This is what the Bible refers to as “looking at ourselves with sober judgement.” By doing this, we can identify if we are contributing to the shortage by the way we are leading, even if unintentionally.

2. Hire people who need less supervision and thrive with coaching.

Some leaders spend far too much time supervising others, which means they are not producing as much themselves. Opening up your leadership pipeline often begins with who you hire in the first place. If your employees need an excessive amount of supervision, you may have hired the wrong people (or you have a heightened need for control!). Hire people with enough competence, courage, and initiative to want to lead but enough humility and discernment to know how to manage their drive. You can train a young leader in a lot of areas, but initiative and discernment are not as easy to teach. They are not impossible, but not easy.

3. Create opportunity.

By creating opportunity, I mean giving challenges and leadership roles to younger leaders who show potential. In fields like medicine and the military, young professionals are entrusted with serious responsibilities early on. However, in business and nonprofit organizations, the delegation of significant responsibilities often moves at a glacial pace. Accelerating opportunity does not happen by accident. Senior leaders must be intentional in giving younger or less experienced leaders the chance to take on important projects. This allows them to demonstrate their capabilities under pressure and authority while identifying areas for growth. Additionally, these experiences can provide valuable insights for further coaching and training.

4. Reward reasonable risk.

One of the bosses I had when I was younger was awesome. He did so many things right, and one of those things was encouraging me to take some risks. He also provided me with the organizational shelter needed for a younger leader to take those risks. Thankfully, I didn’t do anything too stupid with his trust, and I had the opportunity to create several new initiatives for the organization that contributed to our mission, helped me grow, and built my confidence to take on more challenges.

5. Empower others.

Senior leaders have accumulated credibility and power, especially if they have been successful. This power can be hoarded, or it can be invested. Leaders who genuinely want to grow the leadership pipeline empower younger leaders by granting them the authority to lead and providing coaching on how to utilize that power to do good. Such empowerment is essential when creating opportunities for new leaders and rewarding them for the risks that they take.

6. Be quick to coach and slow to punish.

I read a story that happened on the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. The Arizona was tethered to a burning ship, and people were trying to escape across the ropes to the Arizona. A leader instructed a subordinate to cut the ropes and pull the Arizona away from the burning ship before it was too late. However, the subordinate noticed a few more men attempting to cross the ropes to safety, and he refused to leave them to die. In other words, he defied the command and saved the remaining sailors. Was the sailor who refused the order insubordinate, or was he courageous? Likely both. But he saved those lives, and his superior did not punish him!

7. Be slow to be the savior.

It feels good to be needed, to be the one who comes to the rescue of others. It makes for great self-esteem and an awesome movie script. But being the savior doesn’t do much when it comes to developing leaders. When we are too quick to jump in and save the day, we lose the opportunity to see how effectively an emerging leader can solve problems and navigate complexity. In the book, Leadership is Overrated, Kyle Buckett shares how in some of the Navy Seal training, they intentionally remove the leader to see how the team performs when the leader is no longer available to make all the decisions. Every team member had to be equipped to step up and lead – and they most often did. So, take a pause before you become the savior.

8. Invest in leadership training.

Leadership training involves everything we discussed in this article. However, more formal training experiences have an important role because they allow for learning from others, discovering best practices, creating opportunities for experimentation and case study, and practicing. One program we offer that many leaders have found to be a beneficial way to invest in their emerging managers and department leaders is the 3-day Accelerate Leadership Intensive. Although formal classroom-type education alone is not enough, it serves as one of the many ways to expand your leadership pipeline, and it is worthy of the investment of both time and money.

Our experienced consultants would be glad to have a conversation about how you can begin to build up your leadership pipeline. Contact us to learn more.

Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.