Leadership Development and the Cliche - How the Cliche Perception Has Injured Leadership Factories

It is understandable, given the amount ofadmit you to your mistakes but not be
leadership programs and novels (and articles, liketransparent and genuine to their own?
this one funnily enough) flying around in this day3. the number of people preaching their great
and age, that people have become deaf to theideas at a team meeting but fail to lead it in the
buzz words and phrases that have been used.next one.
Some people may be very familiar with (which4. the number of people who would say you
may have different meanings depending on howshould focus on your strengths but spend 90% of
you rate their effectiveness):the time identifying your faults/weaknesses?
- Be the change you want to see around youThe impression I get is that it is such a
(Mahatma Gandhi)conversation closer. I don't believe anyone would
- Lead by example (aka Walk the Talk)appreciate their comments being labeled as Cliches
- Conquer your fears (aka face yourself)if they truly had a powerful and good intent
- It does not matter if you win or lose, but howbehind it. That my friends, is why i believe the
you play the gameCliche has killed leadership factories in the world
- It is not what you know it is who you knowtoday.
(build networks)However, I'd like to be picky on the defining
- Every great journey starts with the first stepelement of "overused" in the word "Cliche" and
(variation of Confucious)...offer another angle to consider. If you look
...and the list obviously goes on (thanks to ourdeeper into the traits of true and effective
great predecessors).leaders, would you not agree that the world could
It is however evidently noticeable that there is ause with a few more? For the people seeking to
crowd of individuals out there who would typicallybe a leaders for the new world, I'd say that the
dismiss your sharing of these great sayings bygreat words can never be overused. Because I
labeling them as "Cliched". Which is fair, given thatam of the opinion, that an open-mind listens
a Cliche is something that has been so overusedregardless of how many times it has heard and
that it lost all its color (much like washing a coloredcan recreate it into a fresh effective mix. I am of
T-shirt everyday for 30 days and it just fades).the believe if we could connect at the
I'd definitely attribute this to the amount ofconversational level to some of the sayings, we
in-authenticity present within the personalmight all well explore and enjoy a synergistic
development industry. I have undoubtedly seen soexperience which wouldn't happen otherwise.
many contradictions within individuals actions (notTrue leadership can rise above societies norms
to be judgmental, for I am a retiring hypocriteand auto-defense mechanisms. In this day and
myself) that have sold them short in terms ofage where knowledge transfer can be done at
transferring great knowledge. I mean, forthe whim of a keyboard and mouse, maybe we
example let us take a look at:can all eventually come to understand each other
1. the number of doctors who would prescribeas leaders in a world with no bounds. Hopefully, by
you health consultancy when they are workingthe time enough people agree with this article, the
over 16 hours a day under the influence of 10concept of a Cliche will be a Cliche and we can all
coffees?progress towards a skittle-colored future.
2. the number of senior managers that would