Does America Suffer From a Leadership Deficit?

The lack of leadership in today's business and political environment is staggering, according to a national leadership expert, especially when you consider Wall Street's collapse, the GM bankruptcy, politicians' extramarital affairs, corruption charges, and trials related to executives plundering company coffers.

If the country is to recover financially and politically, new leaders will have to emerge - new leaders who understand that leadership is a privilege, not an entitlement, according to executive coach Michael Schutzler, author of the book Inspiring Excellence - A Path to Exceptional Leadership.

"Leadership isn't something you get with a title," he said. "Leadership is a relationship. If you consider the evidence - GM's relationship with its customers and employees, Wall Street's relationship with its investors, political leaders' relationships with their constituencies - you have to admit there are an alarming number of dysfunctional relationships."

Schutzler thinks too many leaders are focused on personal ambition. "We need leaders who use power as a tool for inspiring others to create a better future, not as a tool for retaining their position or perks."

Schutzler's view of leadership is different than many academics and executive coaches. Twenty-five years of leading in many industries and countries has led to his pragmatic approach that includes:

• Leadership is not a character trait. It is a learned behavior.
• There are only four essential skills for great leadership - listening, storytelling, negotiating, and assessing people - each easily practiced.
• Those four skills serve as the foundation for successfully attracting talent, reaching consensus, making tough choices, and harnessing ambition.

"Good judgment is certainly a hallmark of exceptional leadership, but it isn't something you are born with," Schutzler said.

"More than anything, good judgment comes from listening," he added. "I don't mean hearing well. I mean putting down your opinions, your wants, your concerns, and paying very close attention to the situation you are facing. When you do that, you often encounter deep doubt. When that doubt is held at bay with a fear of failure, it leads to poor judgment. But when that doubt is embraced, it becomes your source of greatness. Once our business and political leaders fully embrace their doubts and accept responsibility for their actions, we will see the first glimmer of light at the end of this long tunnel of financial and political despair."

Michael Schutzler is a successful business coach with more than a dozen years experience coaching and mentoring CEOs, executives, and board members. Michael developed a passion for and expertise in leadership over the course of twenty-five years in a wide variety of executive and management roles as an entrepreneur and in notable companies, including Harris Corporation, RR Donnelley & Sons, Classmates.com, and RealNetworks. Michael has also served in leadership roles in nonprofit organizations and public school committees. He holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from the W. E. Simon School at University of Rochester and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.