The Psychology of Leadership Magazine (TPOL), a biannual leadership magazine, will be online. TPOL focuses on the promotion of leadership understanding from the science of behavior and is going online in December 2022. Given the critical omissions in research and development, the editor led a call for change. The actions of the editor align with the paradigm shift occurring in leadership. Accessibility to critical information about aspects of leadership for development and practice is a key factor for the change.
A key study considered by the editor showed that 98 percent of leadership failures relate to aspects of psychology overlooked. The same results of the omissions are showing up in failures or crises of governments and organizations in nations. So, the development of leaders, while not understanding critical factors in the success, helps to explain the current state. The development industry centers around 101 or more skills and traits which could be useful. Surprisingly, they are not the core of leadership or the psychology of leadership. There are often latent variables that work below the surface of what is visible with the eyes.
The Psychology of Leadership: A Sign of a Paradigm Shift
The recent 24th International Leadership Global Conference gathered around the topic of wisdom. This year’s conference held in Washington D.C. during the month of October, with top thought leaders from around the world. The theme of the conference was “wisdom in times of crises” a great theme. However, many may not realize that true wisdom avoids crises. Wisdom relates to principles and when ignored, there are signs. When the signs are ignored there are problems. Crises are a result of not paying attention to problems and not using wisdom in the beginning. Interesting, wisdom is a dimension of leadership’s grand theory. If wisdom is seen as a solution in the middle of crises, use of wisdom seems wise to avoid crises. Elements of the psychology of leadership got attention at the conference. See the release from the International Leadership Association (ILA).
A question asked by a professional responsible for executive development in the U.S. Government, received a prompt response. The response base on the psychology of leadership became a gem and quoted after the global conference. The response came from Kenneth-Maxwell Nance, leadership scholar-practitioner (scientist), a top leadership expert, and Director of the Maxwell Leadership Institute. Specifically, the scholar stated “we have to work on developing the conscience, not just the cognition in leaders.” The scholar is also the founder of leadership’s grand theory, a theory long sought-after by a generation of scholars. Explicitly, the SULT method that is based on the theory, delivers a multiple-triadic relational model which accounts for the psychology of leadership.