Leadership - A discussion of traits, characteristics, and current news of leaders.

I received an invitation from Andrew Thorn of Telios Corporation, a leadership consulting firm, to review a recent white paper that he published on the looming shortage of trained leaders and executives in the global economy.

The paper is entitled


Andrew frames a scenario that finds the US economy (and potentially your company) suffering from a lack of leadership due to a labor shortage created by an aging population and baby boomers retiring. Using U.S. Census and U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, he points out that the candidate pool for future leaders is diminishing simultaneously with a reduction in and commitment to corporate training.

The paper outlines steps to developing successful leadership and executive training in an organization. The strongest point of the paper is that leaders learn in a variety of ways and therefore, there is no “out-of-the-box” solution to train them. I would add that there is also no “ideal leader candidate.” Potential leaders and their path to becoming effective leaders varies. While all leaders possess some common traits, how these traits are developed can vary dramatically. As Thorn points out, allowing leader candidates to control the development process and offer input, is in itself a leadership opportunity.

Thus lies the challenge. However, if done successfully, is worth the trouble.

For more information you can visit Telios Corporation or email Andrew at athorn@telioscorp.com.