In a leadership course at Wharton, the professor would ask, “What qualities should a good leader have?”
Some student would say, “Vision.”
The professor would then parrot back, “Yes, without vision, you can’t have leadership.”
Then another student would say, “Integrity.”
The professor would repeat, “Yes, integrity is the backbone of leadership.”
And this charade went on and on. With that course, I lost all faith in how leadership is taught in B-schools.
And this is not a reflection on Wharton — I consider it one of the best B-schools in the world, if not the absolute best. But this class was an exception.
What is leadership? Can it be taught in classrooms? Why is teaching it so hard?
One reason leadership is so hard to teach is that there is no single quality called ‘leadership.’
Different situations require different skills to lead. Sometimes, you need to inspire. On other occasions, you need to display courage under fire, kindness, smart problem-solving, and so on.
But whichever aspect of leadership you take, it is a quality of mind. And reciting from a list of qualities hasn’t helped anyone. Case studies and examples that lead to a robust discussion may have some value.
But ultimately, learning leadership is a lot like learning how to ride a bike. Get on the bike, take a few falls, and then learn.
If you have never been on a bike and never fallen, you are not a biker. The same goes for a leader.
– Rajan