Five Hungers for Leadership

Last night Dr. Don Frick spoke about the Art of Leadership as Greenleaf saw it. Once again, Don gave a wonderful talk as he spoke about seeing our organizations, homes and classrooms as a studio. It reminded me of a theme that is spoken of in a book by Sharon Daloz Parks.

In her book Leadership CAN Be Taught, Parks speaks of five hungers that we have for our leaders. They are:

1. Within every person there is a hunger to exercise some sense of personal agency - to have an effect, to contribute, to make a positive difference, to influence, help, build - and in this sense lead;
2. Throughout human history, within every social group there is a hunger for authority that will provide orientation and reassurance, particularly in times of stress and fear;
3. There is now a hunger for leadership that can deal with the intensification of systemic complexity emerging from the cybernetic, economic, political, and ecological realities that have created a more connected and interdependent world;
4. There is a hunger for leadership that can respond adaptively to the depth, scope, and pace of change that combined with complexity creates unprecedented conditions;
5. Last, this new landscape creates a new moral moment in history.

Again, Don gave a wonderful presentation to our students. You can find out more about Don and his great work in servant leadership here.