Khanna - Move: The Forces Uprooting Us

I follow Parag Khanna's writing and other media releases because I often find that he is quite able to get ahead of trends and predict changing environmental, economic, social, and political conditions that are important to us. His latest book, Move: The Forces Uprooting Us (2021), is again prescient in looking at the shifts in the world that will undoubtedly impact all our lives. This Talks at Google video captures the essence of Move and references other books Khanna authored.

Economic inequality and political upheaval intersecting with global environmental impact are driving people all around the world to move. Where people, especially those who are young and talented, are moving is the key. These moves involve both push and pull - environmental and economic disruption is the push and urbanization is the pull. The winners of the world talent competition, and the innovation and economic vitality it brings, are emerging but yet to be fully determined. Which cities will be on the list will have a profound effect on all our lives.

Much of Move includes review of various countries, their current state, politics, economic opportunity, and changing climate. Anyone who wants an objective summary of the state of the world will deeply appreciate these chapters and North Americans, in particularly, should carefully study Chapter 4, the “New American Dream.” The conclusions readers can reach from these chapters could very easily impact the movement of talent across the globe because the evidence leads to an ultimate conclusion that “mobility is destiny” and the forces impacting mobility are more often than not, beyond our ability to control and are accelerating. The key forces shaping this acceleration in human geography include; demographic imbalances, politic upheaval, economic dislocation, technology disruption, and climate change.

Khanna proposes that there are four likely scenarios for the future based on the determinants of mobility, authority, technology, and community (Chapter 1). The four scenarios include: 1) “Regional Fortresses” (much like today), 2) “New Middle Ages” (even greater fragmentation), 3) “Barbarians at the Gate” (more intensified competition and exploitation), and 4) “Northern Lights” (advanced planning for large-scale resettlement and environmental regeneration).  Northern Lights is by far the most attractive scenario for collective humanity and it requires movement of talent (especially those who are youthful, well-educated, and ambitious) across national borders with those countries that are most open to movement being the ones that prosper most. Attracting the Millennial and Gen Z cohort will require accommodating their mindset, which Khanna characterizes simply as “They want to work to live, not live to work. They want to be happy, do good, and not be poor” (p. 68). And, they are increasingly cosmopolitan (citizens of the world) and cause-mopolitans who are deeply concerned about climate change.

The issue of climate change is one of the most influential in driving talent migration. With southern hemisphere countries getting hotter and dryer, migration will push toward the north, potentially creating a new arctic “polar Silk Road.” Urban areas that are more protected from the devastation of climate change and that have created economies that welcome the flow of talent will grow in prosperity with the winners falling in zones such as inner regions of Canada, Colorado and the Great Lakes in North America, Germany and Scandinavian countries in Europe, and the “stans” rimming the Black and Caspian Seas. In locations where climate is less severe, with diverse talent attracted from throughout the world, “The most important passports of the future are skills and health rather than nationality”… with individuals judged “not by the accident of birth, but on their potential to contribute to society” (p. 231). And, those carrying these talent passports will have expectations of the places where they flow, and are likely to value “sustainable economies, diverse and inclusive societies, and a culture of rights and wellness” (p. 241).

Khanna’s analyses are very contemporary but his message is based on history – “Civilizations of the past collapsed because they failed to adapt to the complexity they themselves created” (p. 264). The adaptations that are now required globally will include mobility and sustainability that will move to higher elevations in northern regions of the world. Mass migration will then require open borders, attractive working and living environments, and a change in mindset from national sovereignty to shared stewardship for regions on which all humanity will increasingly rely for food, energy, and other critical resources. Khanna uses the term “cosmopolitan utilitarianism” to describe his view of mobility across the globe, movement that he believes should be a paramount human right (p.274).

Putnam - The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do it Again

Robert Putnam’s The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do it Again (2020) exceeds the importance of his previous “show stopper,” Bowling Alone. It is better documented and covers a breadth of information and data. Even though Bowling Alone was widely read and cited, it doesn’t begin to match the salience of the analyses, warnings, and recommendations of Upswing. Putnam makes a prediction but one that depends on us – many of us, seeing the signs and turning the seeds of change into a new reality of a more equitable and productive society.

The first chapters of the book provide the background for the four broad areas in which change has occurred – economics, politics, society, and culture. Trends were analyzed beginning at the height of the Gilded Age of the late 19^th century, a period of incredible advancement for America but also extreme inequality, polarization, social disarray, and hyper individualism. The extremes of the Gilded Age ushered in the Progressive movement of the early 20^th century, a movement that was primarily held together by a commitment to community and common welfare. While it took a couple of decades for the Progressive movement to address the extremes of the Gilded Age, it eventually secured policies that broke down elitist systems and created the middle class for which the U.S.A. was so renowned by the 1960s. However, once brought together, the common bonds began to disintegrate, returning to another Gilded Age in the early 21^st century. The ebb and flow of these 120 or so years began with the individualistic and competitive “I” of the first Gilded Age, climaxed with the community focus of “we” in mid-20^th century, and fell precipitously toward another “I” of our current era – an inverted “U” curve.

 

Putnam acknowledged that it is very difficult to determine cause and effect in the changes of the 20^th century but some might suggest that it looks like a pendulum swinging back and forth in response to the excesses of each era – mid-century progress in most citizen’s welfare followed by a shift to individualism, tribalism, and the me-first thinking of many today. One thing that is clear is that the 60s were the hinge, or pivot point, of the 20^th century. The period from 1968 to 1974 is recognized as a time of revolution and renaissance but also of fracture and discontent. The 1960s came in as “years of hope” and left as “days of rage” (p. 300), demonstrated so clearly in the literature and art of those years. “Something’s happening here/What it is ain’t exactly clear” (Buffalo Springfield) or Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” or “The Times they are A’Changin’” were a backdrop for the growing cynicism and individuality of the time. Putnam wrote, “movement toward an expanding ‘we’ suddenly reversed… growing polarization produced growing inequality, which produced growing social isolation, which produced in turn more polarization, in what seemed to be an endless downward spiral” (p 312).

 

Putnam turned to the all-important question of how America’s last upswing toward “we” occurred and how it might be restored. The Progressive movement included criticism of the Gilded Age and a repudiation of what the America of immigrant dreams had become and it included an understanding that ordinary citizens have the power to change their government. The early years of the Progressive era created infinite social capital that fostered a shared prosperity for all. Journalists were partially responsible for telegraphing the realization of inequity, which spawned a generation of politicians committed to the common good. The rise of community and “we” was a moral question and included citizens asking of themselves “what personal privileges and rights we might be willing to lay aside” (p. 329) for the benefit of all. This movement began in the lower or common ranks of citizens and then invigorated a new set of shared values. This is the lesson for the present day - inequity and environmental degradation are compelling moral mandates and require the active engagement of citizens to turn back toward a “we” mandate. The cautions Putnam offers at such a propitious time include: be careful not to overcorrect, never compromise on equality and inclusion, and remain faithful to individual liberty coupled with unwavering commitment to equality in all sectors.

 

The one question that remains when comparing the 19^th and 21^st century Gilded Ages is the influence of media and the wedge politics that divides so many groups and individuals. The 19^th century Gilded Age offered the 1% hiding places behind gated landscapes that only the muckrakers eventually exposed. The 21^st century Gilded Age displays all of the abuses, spun in deceitful ways by the perpetrators themselves. Yet, there are many victims of this age who remain enamored with what they see.

Pink - Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us

Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us (Pink, 1995) is not exactly ground-breaking but provides a helpful summary of how our views of what motivates has changed. He provides summaries of past models that were used in many organizations to get commitment to specific work or tasks (e.g. carrot and stick), cites newer research that challenges these previous models, and goes on to apply a new way of motivating to a variety of settings – work, families, and self.

 

One of the most prominent strategies to motivate is reward. Businesses, in particular, use compensation to attract commitment and then reward it with compensation. The only problem with this model is that it only results in a short-term boost, an effect that wears off and may even contribute to long-term ambivalence. The opposite of reward, of course, is punishment. The combination of reward and punishment has seven deadly flaws; according to Pink they can extinguish intrinsic motivation, diminish performance, crush creativity, encourage cheating, become addictive, and foster primarily short-term thinking.

 

Pink draws a contrast between Type I, “I” for intrinsic desire, and Type X, “X” for external drive. Research on Type I motivation concludes that it almost always contributes to higher performance, is both born and bred, is independent of compensation, is renewable, and generates greater physical and mental well-being. Type I organization cultures have three key elements that help to reinforce the intrinsic desire to contribute; autonomy (which can be supported by a ROWE, results-only work environment, that focuses on task, time, technique, and team); mastery (which relies heavily on Czikszentmihalyi’s “flow” research, and includes mastery of mindset, of pain, and as an asymptote), and purpose (the pursuit of something that is central to an individual’s ultimate concerns.

 

A toolkit is included in Drive to help readers apply Pink’s ideas in practice. Key to the toolkit is for managers/leaders to give up control. Giving up control in constructive ways includes; involving people in goal-setting, using non-controlling language, and holding open office hours. Most important of all is for managers to ask “Whose purpose is it anyway?” If the answer is outside of the people who the manager is attempting to motivate, then fundamental rethinking should be undertaken.

 

Compensation (or reward) is neither as powerful as some think nor is it negligible in impact. The way to focus compensation in ways that are consistent with Pink’s recommendations include; ensuring internal and external fairness, pay more than the average, and define performance metrics broadly.

 

The bottom line in motivation for Pink are the “three essentials elements: (1)  Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery – the urge to make progress and get better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose – the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves” (p. 218).

Kellerman - Enablers

In a world where social injustice remains unchecked and wealth inequality continues to increase, political “leaders” tell us “only I can fix it” and business “leaders” urge us to hire them to achieve the best yield on our stock portfolio. I’m done with it! Done with studying “leaders” who are typically only posing in their roles of leadership. I’m done with the conversations about valuing followership while at the same time continuing to reify the role of “leader” and pay outrageous sums to “develop” them or retain them.

How did I get here? I read Barbara Kellerman’s Enablers: How team Trump flunked the pandemic and failed America (2021). Kellerman has taken us to this place before in The end of Leadership (2012) and Professionalizing leadership (2018) but I’ve never felt such a strong push to abandon the study of leading. After having participated in a conversation with a small international gathering of leadership scholars and practitioners earlier today where I raised the question of why we keep talking about “leaders” and was immediately pushed to justify my position, I say it’s time to flip the conversation. The next time someone asks me to justify why we should pay more attention to followership and leadership as a continuum of active participation, my response will be, “First, let’s talk about why you believe that spotlighting leaders is so important and why, after several decades of intense study of leading and cultivation programs to support leaders, we can document so little progress in improving the quality of leadership for our world?”

Kellerman’s new book doesn’t really explore leadership to any great extent and she quite often puts “leading” and “leader” in parenthesis, drawing attention to the possible misappropriation of the terms. Instead, her focus is on Donald J. Trump’s conduct during the first six months of 2020 when COVID-19 was creeping onto the world stage and the Trump administration was denying or discounting its influence in every way possible. How did Trump do this, one might ask? He did it with the sometimes passive, but mostly active, support, encouragement, acquiescence, and yes ENABLING of those around him.

A fascinating repeated paragraph at the beginning of each chapter that profiles the role of different individuals or groups reads, “… specifically, as it pertained to the pandemic – during the period January through June 2020. Each was in some way directly involved in how the president managed America’s worst public health crisis in over a century. Each, then, was an enabler, a follower who allowed or even encouraged Trump to engage in, and then to persist in behaviors that were destructive.” It read like a lawyer presenting the prosecution’s case in a criminal proceeding with Kellerman indicting: the Vice President and Cabinet; Senior Advisors; Senators, Governors, Media; and Medical experts. There were very few within these ranks who resisted, who stood up to and challenged Trump; it took all of them to perpetuate the ruse of Trump leading effectively in a pandemic war, a premise embraced among Trump's conservative base to this day.

This is a book for every citizen to read and, especially, for every leadership scholar and educator to absorb. A great deal of the evidence Kellerman presents is public record, and now being analyzed more deeply by the Senate Judiciary Committee and other groups. Kellerman does a masterful job of putting the pieces together, dissecting the roles, and recounting the chronology of early 2020. I won’t ruin the fun of the book by quoting further because one has to read it to actually get the full impact of what Kellerman tells us. She describes how Trump prepared for what he could not have known would happen, and wished had not happened. The job of preparing for such a period of incompetence at such a dire time was polished over many years of Trump’s business dealings, his lies, his manipulations, and his base narcissism. As Kellyanne Conway and Hope Hicks often reminded us, the best strategy for Trump was to “Let Trump be Trump” and he was – why would anyone be surprised?

It’s time that leadership scholars and educators face the reality that we are not making progress when such a graphic example as Donald J. Trump’s Presidency, with such dramatic lack of preparedness and temperament, is laid open before us. It wasn’t just about Trump, it was about the legions of others who enabled him to take the U.S.A. to the brink. I pray the Kellerman’s book is a best seller and that we will learn from this very difficult case. We must honor and cultivate active followership that complements shared leadership of people trying to make the world a better place to live instead of continuing to glorify individual "leaders" who take us down destructive paths that put all at risk.

Wilkerson - Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

 Isabel Wilkerson's Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020) has captured wide attention, mostly among those who already advocated more inclusion, equity, and justice in the U.S.A. and around the world. The film, "Origin," tells the story of how Wilkerson came to write the book. Wilkerson's conceptual approach and skillful writing compels us to move faster and deeper toward eliminating the presence of caste systems around the world.

The roots of racism in the U.S.A. run deep and have been present for a very long time. She proposes that as a young immigrant nation, composed of new-comers from diverse places, the U.S.A. sought to order itself into a privilege hierarchy where:

To gain acceptance, each fresh infusion of immigrants had to enter into a silent, unspoken pact of separating and distancing themselves from the established lowest caste. Becoming white meant defining themselves as furthest from its opposite - black. They could establish their new status by observing how the lowest caste was regarded and imitating or one-upping the disdain and contempt, learning the epithets, joining in on violence against them to prove themselves worthy of admittance to the dominant caste (p. 50).

Through this process of entry and stratification above the lowliest among them, the concept of race was created. And, a way to keep the lowliest at the bottom was essential to the entire hierarchy.

After examining the historic emergence of how the Nazis modeled their discriminatory practices and laws by studying the U.S., Wilkerson outlined the eight "pillars of caste": divine will and the laws of nature; heritability; endogamy and the control of marriage and mating; parity versus pollution; occupational hierarchy; dehumanization and stigma; terror as enforcement, cruelty as a means of control; and inherent superiority versus inherent inferiority. She explores in great detail the "tentacles of caste" that have intruded into practically every area of life in America.

These pillars are ensconced in U.S. policies to the extent that they are the substance of our discontents across caste levels. The caste system is reinforced by the fear of middle or lower caste members who are striving to make sure they remain above the lowest caste, people of cultural minority status. One of the saddest chapters, titled "Last Place Anxiety: Packed in a Flooding Basement," describes how lower caste individuals are pushed deeply into racism by their own fear of being marginalized. This fear, and the complicity that goes along with it, results in lower caste people accepting and being resigned to the role that is dictated to them by the elites of their society. As Wilkerson describes, this is particularly powerful in Indian culture where the social structure is fused with the philosophical orientation that conforming to expectation is a virtue, one that will be rewarded in the next life.

Perpetuating caste depends on rivalry and distrust among various layers of the system, one that dehumanizes everyone and results in a political environment that has no empathy for those in need. Accepting this dehumanization robs the potential from individuals and from the society at large. Wilkerson's "Epilogue" asks of those whose potential was lost (pp. 377-378):

Whatever creativity or brilliance they had has been lost for all time. Where would we be as a species had the millions of targets of these caste systems been permitted to live out their dreams or live at all? Where would the planet be had the putative beneficiaries been freed of the illusions that imprisoned them, too, had they directed their energies toward solutions for all of humanity...?

Transatlantic Dialogue - Liber Memorialis

I had the unique opportunity to participate in two of five Transatlantic Dialogue conferences in Luxembourg. There was to be another in 2020, which was rescheduled to 2021, and ultimately was replaced by a virtual experience and a collection of reflections on the theme of "Reimagining the Tower of Babel."

Included in the Transatlantic Dialogue reflections is a summary of my "atelier" at the 2017 meeting. An atelier is a studio presentation where art is used to explore a question of mutual interest. My reflections in Curiosity and Creativity - Sources of Cultural Understanding begin by exploring my early experiences with music and how music became a defining element of my identity. My transition to a career in higher education took me away from music as a professional endeavor but I never gave it up as an avocation, much to my great pleasure in these days of semi-retirement. The Luxembourg Transatlantic Dialogue meeting of 2017 allowed me to return to performance and to guiding the audience who joined me through questions of how music and cultural understanding are informed by common dynamics.

I used two piano pieces as stimuli for the "Curiosity and Creativity" discussion, Ravel's "Pavane Pour Una Infante Defunte" and Rachmaninoff's "Prelude IV in D Major, Opus 23, No. 24." By asking participants to reflect on what they heard, I sought to reinforce their own authority in relating to art and discerning insights that were important to them. The point - to welcome listeners and encourage them to understand music at a deeper and more personal level.

The atelier allowed me to also see the similarity in the curiosity and creativity demonstrated in exploring music to that of exploring other cultures. My reflection in Liber Memorialis explains the barriers and opportunities in both.

Aretha Franklin - catharsis was her genius

Looking for leadership everywhere I can find it - that has been the goal of my blog, Pursuing Leadership by Denny, since 2005 to the present. I've found it in many places but browsing my posts over time reveals that I've often found the seeds for and evidence of leadership in the arts - and, specifically, in music.

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, is featured in the April 2021 issue of National Geographic. The article is a wonderful read and a reminder of where profound and transforming genius and leadership are often found - in wounds, urgency, and search for a better world. My natural inclination in music is toward classical but I appreciate and am lifted up by all kinds of music and I can't listen to Aretha without a spine-tingling realization that she had much to say to all who will listen. Two documentaries produced after her death in 2018 attempt to portray the origin and depths of her music, National Geographic's Genius - Aretha and RESPECT, a popular release in 2020.

The April 2021 National Geographic quotes a biographer who recalled making the mistake of asking her about her earliest childhood memories. "Her whole life, she kept it very secret what was happening with her life, from the romantic to the personal," Ritz said. "you couldn't get any information out of her. She suppressed anger. She suppressed her confusion. The one vehicle she used to express it all was her music. Because it was suppressed, it was extravagantly expressed... Some of us go and pay the psychologist or psychiatrist and shut the door. She does it by opening her mouth on stage. This is her psychotherapy. Her catharsis.

I wonder how many other extravagant expressions of life experience, aspiration, and disappointment have been lost. So many of these could well have profoundly shaped our world through passionate conviction and statements of how things should be. Take a moment to listen to Aretha as she probes the depths of our shared life experience in RESPECT or I Dreamed a Dream from President Bill Clinton's inauguration, when the words shifted to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s everlasting words, "I have a dream."

Bellah - Prophetic Religion in a Democratic Society

Robert Bellah’s Prophetic Religion in a Democratic Society (2006) is essay number 10 in the series Essays on Deepening the American Dream, sponsored by the Fetzer Institute. It is short, with the text only 25 pages in length, but it carries a lot of philosophical weight.

 

The idea behind the Fetzer Institute series was to explore if the “American Dream” is a thing of the past or if it has relevance today and has even more potential in the future. Reading the purpose of the series caused me to immediately go to the question of whether or not the American Dream was ever intended for, or accessible to, all Americans. Particularly in the current political climate where efforts are underway to disenfranchise some American citizens of their voting rights, there are many who would assert that the American Dream was intended only for certain people.

 

Bellah’s essay probes the question of religious freedom and its relationship to democratic participation.  He drew attention to different interpretations of the 1^st Amendment – one based on “no establishment” of religion (precluding a state church) and the other “free exercise” of religion which supported multiple religions and an individual’s free choice of which s/he would embrace. Bellah’s own perspective is that voicing religious perspectives is legitimate in public life and, in addition, a belief that “public consensus should arise from a discussion involving many religious and secular views” (p. 1).

 

American history has shaped views of religion and democracy in important ways, including the fact that Protestantism dominated or influenced Catholicism and Judaism in its early days, creating a loosely understood tolerance across religious differences. However, American culture’s focus on individualism, and particularly avoidance of state intervention, has undermined one of the principles common to all the Abrahamic faiths and others as well – solidarity and concern for the common good. Bellah’s view is that, “It would be hard to imagine anything more secular, more opposed to the teachings of Christianity…” (p. 9) than the modern social values of, “individualism, self-sufficiency, and localism” (p. 9) that are construed to supersede one’s compassion and care for one’s neighbor.

 

The troubling chasm of wealth inequality that now exists in the U.S.A. has deepened over time through involuntary poverty. This  involuntary poverty has been perpetuated through the “systematic dismantling of the public services that help the poor, most notably in our public education system and in our health system, while income has been dramatically redistributed to the wealthiest” (p. 17).

 

Bellah proposed that a life commitment to sufficiency, based on seeking a comfortable life of reason, is an important way to begin to correct the involuntary poverty experienced by so many. He advises that, “a life based economically on sufficiency rather than the expectation of ever-increasing income is, in today’s world, a form of voluntary poverty” (p. 22).  Such a life of service, “might allow time for genuine creativity in art or thought” (p. 23) that will drive an enhanced American Dream that is available to all, rather than just a few. Seeking life sufficiency is where Bellah proposed people of faith can put their values in action in ways that not only redeem the individual but also society at large.

 

Ward - Edvard Grieg

Brendan Ward’s Edvard Grieg: A great little man, The unorthodox life of Norway’s greatest composer (2015), provides a quick overview of Grieg’s life based on several of the more detailed and definitive sources. The book follows the chronology of  the most significant experiences for Grieg from his birth in 1843 of Scottish decent to the outpouring of affection when he died in 1907. At his death, he was hailed as Norway’s most beloved composer.

Grieg’s two most loved compositions are his Piano Concerto, Op. 16 in A minor, and the Peer Gynt Suite. A significant number of compositions round out these two favorites, including a collection of  short piano compositions, the Lyric Pieces, which vary in style and nationalistic character. He was not only a composer but also a formidable pianist and conductor. His musical style was most influenced by two other Norwegian musicians, Ole Bull (a prodigious violinist) and Rikard Nordraak, who encouraged Grieg to abandon German Romanticism in order to develop his own individualistic tone poem style reflecting Norway’s countrysides and fjords.  He was influenced by French Impressionism but also influenced prominent French composers such as Debussy and Ravel.

Grieg had a less than fulfilling relationship with his wife, Nina, nevertheless they remained together throughout their lives. It was Nina who named the home they built outside Bergen as Troldhaugen (The Hall of the Trolls) with its forested grounds, composing hut, and eventual concert venue. An urn containing his ashes was placed in a grotto overlooking Troldhaugen after Grieg’s death at age 64.

Grieg is an interesting example of unassuming leadership. As the title of Ward's book indicates, he was a little man but he had an oversized impact. His impact became more potent because he captured the character of life experience and fables of Norway's people at a time when it was defining itself. Nationalism was needed and Grieg provided the perfect vehicle - colorful and poetic music that fostered a shared identity and patriotism. 

Kellerman & Pittinsky - Leaders Who Lust

The authors of Leaders Who Lust: Power, money, sex, success, legitimacy, legacy (2020), Barbara Kellerman and Todd Pittinsky, tell us that lust has long been ignored in leadership research and theory and that, in order to understand exceptional leading, scholars need to turn to lust. The typical characterization of lust is of a destructive force but Kellerman and Pittinsky propose that it should be viewed more neutrally. Viewing lust as the drive behind both positive and negative leading helps us begin to know it as something that might be managed, although they say that lust is an innate quality that cannot be taught.

Leaders who lust uses a case or personality analysis approach to justify their claims. The six sources of lust they describe and the personalities they explore include: Power, Roger Ailes and Xi Jinping; Money, Warren Buffett and Charles Koch; Sex, John F. Kennedy and Silvio Berlusconi; Success, Hillary Clinton and Tom Brady; Legitimacy, Nelson Mandela and Larry Kramer; and Legacy, Bill and Melinda Gates and George Soros. Lust in each of these cases, for good or ill, is defined as an intense drive, almost desperate in nature, to accomplish a specific object or circumstance. And, lust in these cases is a life-long obsession that appears, in the end, to be insatiable.

The authors of Leaders who lust proceed throughout the book to clearly define their terms, describe the context of the dogged pursuit of each type of lust, address the role of followers, and demonstrate through examples how lust can create incredibly positive or disastrously negative outcomes. They acknowledge that sometimes more than one type of lust may be present, as is common in the relationship between unbridled lust for power and for sex. They implicitly reinforce the idea that lust can be a magnate that attracts like types, as can be seen in the two lust for money cases of Buffett (with his investors) and Koch (with political influencers). And, the authors provide examples to demonstrate that the public acceptance for different kinds of lustful leaders varies across nations/cultures and can change over time. There is much food for thought as the personalities, life experiences, and outcomes of the leaders who lust are described.

Kellerman and Pittinsky’s urgent assertion to scholars and educators who seek to cultivate leadership is that leadership and lust are often inseparable, sometimes becoming even symbiotic; the drive coming from lust results in a leader who simply does not give up, regardless of the obstacles. The leadership industry’s focus on teaching, optimism/positivity, and measurement undermines attention that would otherwise include lusts, which is not teachable, can be both destructive and constructive, and is very difficult to measure, if at all. Kellerman and Pittinsky offer critical advice for leaders who sense they may have a lust that drives them as well us cautionary notes to those who follow them in their “Epilogue.”

To Kellerman’s admonition to leadership scholars and educators I would add that, as a result of the extremes represented in their examples, there will be those who will place leaders who lust in a special case, which I believe is a mistake. As we reflect on our own life experiences and encounters, I believe that lust in lesser degrees of urgency may be present in many more cases. Leadership educators should consider how fostering some degree of lust, or as I have written and described as conviction, purpose or passion, can result in a positive motivating force. On the other hand, leadership educators should explore how resisting leaders who have a potentially destructive lust can be resisted through responsible followership.

Roberts - The Lost Pianos of Siberia

Sophy Roberts’ The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020) is as equally focused on pianos and music as it is on understanding political life and culture in Russia from the time of Catherine the Great in the late 18^th century to the present. Pianos were so dominant during the entire 19^th century that they were found in the homes of every privileged Russian, with salon performances the norm, and music schools available in most cities. During this time, Piano virtuosos were the rock stars of the day and drew large crowds of admirers whenever and wherever they performed.

The story of the lost pianos of Siberia is one of searching for what is left of the great age of Russian music and performance, which is briefly captured in the video available on the book promotion website. Siberia, with the largest area and most extreme weather in Russia, is a name derived from early Arab traders who crisscrossed its sweeping planes and used the Tatar word sibir, meaning the sleeping land, to describe it. No wonder that in a desolate and sprawling land such as Siberia, that the banished criminals and dissidents who were sent there by the Tsars would be enraptured by great piano music. In Pyotr Tchaikovsky words, “Truly, there would be reason to go mad if it were not for music” (p. 18).

Sophy Roberts tells the story of her journey throughout the full expanse of Siberia. Her writing conveys a deep connection with people, history, and the music that lifted so many above the drudgeries of daily life. In her words, “By following the pathway of an object, I would get closer to understanding the place” (p. 51).

The fascination with pianos flourished in St. Petersburg, the imperial city facing toward Europe both geographically and culturally. It boasted six piano makers by 1810, resulting in it being dubbed ‘pianopolis.’ For most of the 19^th century, music was a past-time of the elite but by the 1860s interest accelerated with the formation of the Imperial Russian Musical Society by the Romanov court. The era that followed resulted in increasingly discerning performance and virtuosic expectations, as musicians moved from mere entertainers to some of the most notable names in the world – the “Mighty Five” including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Cesar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin, and Mily Balakirev; Tchaikovsky, and others.

This extraordinary flourishing of music began to crumble with the 1905 ‘Bloody Sunday’ killing of one hundred thirty protesters at the Tsars’ Palace. From there, the fall of the Romanov family was irreversible and accelerated toward the 1917 October Revolution. The political turmoil that unfolded, with ‘Reds’ and ‘Whites’ vying for influence, the Bolshevik rebels rising, and the eventual formation of the Soviet Union, resulted in noble families abandoning all their possessions, even their treasured pianos. In this cataclysmic time, Russia was to lose not only its pianos but also the extraordinary talents of the likes of Sergie Rachmaninoff who fled to the United States for safety and fortune. Others such as Shostakovich and Prokofiev stayed in Russia but were forced to compromise their creative spirits in the face of political pressure to compose and perform music pleasing to Soviet officials. In addition to the resilience of these great classical composers, a new kind of music emerged in the East of Siberia, in Harbin, where American jazz took hold in the 1920s as an expression of “anarchic freedom of improvisation” (p. 194) not tolerated elsewhere in the USSR.

The spirit of great Russian music struggled during the Soviet years but was renewed in mid-20^th century. Some would point to the winning performance by the American from Texas, Van Cliburn, at the 1958 International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition as the moment when Russia’s musical soul began to reemerge. Numerous Russian pianists now perform throughout the world. Denis Matsuev is one of the most recognized in this revival.

Roberts wrote in one of the later chapters, “Part of me I had lost in Siberia” (p.  309), a characterization reminiscent of a search that often led to no end. Yet several pages later, she added “My piano hunt and Mary’s (a friend Sophy met along the way) vagrant robin had more in common than it first appeared: neither of us had come for the certainties, but for the outside possibility that a little marvel might appear” (p. 314). The marvel was not only uncovering lost pianos and retelling the history of great music in Russia but of the stunning realization that “in spite of everything, Siberia is fundamentally life-giving all the same – a wellspring of culture, humanity and moral courage in the last place on Earth I expected to find it” (353).

Overcoming the Systemic Challenges of Wealth Inequality

David Peter Stroh of Bridgeway Partners addresses wealth inequality and how to begin to correct it in Overcoming the Systemic Challenges of Wealth Inequality. At its core, the model addresses how people are kept in either a virtuous cycle for elites or a vicious cycle for disadvantaged. Only by understanding the dynamics of power concentration, globalization, and allocation of resources can we begin to see how badly the current system of wealth inequality abuses everyone, including the wealthy. Key issues involved in challenging the current system and replacing it with a system that benefits all include; 1) how disadvantaged people have begun to push back, 2) how ethnic manipulation ignites resistance to change among elites, and 3) how authoritarian leadership plays both elites and disadvantaged in the process.

So many things could change for the better and for all if we as a society could agree to a goal of benefitting all in opportunity and access to resources.

Trump - What can I say?

This morning, the day after January 6, 2021, a day that will become one of the most infamous in U.S.A. history, I am speechless. I watched the media for approximately 8 hours from afternoon through the evening as the pictures of rioting and insurrection unfolded. Rioting and anarchy have not been on display this graphically in the U.S.A. or anywhere else in the world for many years. As many commentators have said, if this were to happen in another country or if Black and Brown people in the U.S.A. rioted like this, there would be quick condemnation and perhaps intervention by U.S.A. police or military forces. But it was us!

There are now less than two weeks left of four agonizing years with Donald Trump as the President of the United States. Questions are being asked about invoking the 25th amendment, which was put in place to replace a President when she/he is no longer competent to serve. Resignations are being announced of White House staffers although these attempts to save reputation come far too late. The evidence has been clear for far too long and enablers and, yes, good citizens, have continued to think it couldn't get any worse. Well it did when Donald Trump continued to deny his lost election and when he called on loyal supporters to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to protest at the capital. Preparations for such a possible dangerous outbreak were inadequate and the evidence suggests that reasons for the inadequacy include Trump's resistance to defensive actions and the fact that the rioters were white and primarily male.

The questions for leadership educators are broad and deep - how could this happen in one of the world's most developed countries? How has citizenship, leadership, and followership failed us? Many will blame Trump and his enablers but there is an entire system of education and higher education that should have prepared the U.S.A. from the rise of despotism and autocracy. Yes, there are crazy people out there who can break loose and do awful things. But this is the President of the United States and over 70 million of its citizens voted to return Trump to office for four more years. The people who supported and stand beside Trump are scary but they came from families, came through our educational system, and live in communities that should be self-monitoring and self-correcting.

Yesterday, January 6, 2021, was the Day of Epiphany in the Christian calendar and it is clear that it is a day of epiphany for Americans. Leadership and followership failed and this has to be fixed.

Epstein - Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

David Epstein’s Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (2019) was mentioned in a recent telephone call among leadership educators so I chose to pick it up to determine its relevance to our work. Epstein traced the origin of the book to a conversation with Malcolm Gladwell who advocates in his writing that special gifts have to be pursued doggedly and with ultimately 10,000 hours of persistent study in order to pay off. Gladwell’s thesis is not undone by Epstein but expanded, with Epstein proposing that genius comes from exploring many different, and often unrelated, ideas and then integrating in creative ways across diverse fields.

The book started by comparing the sports careers of Roger Federer versus Tiger Woods. Their paths to athletic greatness were very different with Federer exploring multiple sports before settling on tennis while Woods pursued golf and only golf from a very early age. “Tiger has come to symbolize the idea that the quantity of deliberate practice determines success – and its corollary, that the practice must start as early as possible” (locator, page 6, Introduction). However, the contrasting “slow bakers” perspective suggests that elite athletes exhibit lower intensity in focus in their early years and then rocket past their high intensity competitors around age fifteen.

Citing examples from high performers in diverse fields such as chess champions, musicians, and scientists, Epstein provided evidence that postponing decisions about giftedness indeed contributed to more genius. In addition to the fact that postponing the pursuit of exceptional mastery resulted in greater creative contributions in the end, Epstein cited research that “scientists inducted into the highest national academies are much more likely to have avocations outside of their vocation” and that these outside interests are even more pronounced among Nobel Prize winners (locator, page 32, Chapter 1). Applying knowledge by creative adaptation in another pursuit is key in order to avoid entrenchment of one’s ideas. This kind of creativity is grounded in ‘abstract thinking’ that requires the ability to shift in categories and conceptual frameworks or even better in ‘analogical thinking’ that involves “recognizing conceptual similarities in multiple domains or scenarios that may seem to have little in common” (locator, page 102, Chapter 5).

Epstein referenced research indicating that one of the most common paths to exceptionality in musical performance begins with sampling that is complemented by learning several instruments. Like breadth in music,  highly credentialed experts in other fields can stay at top performance levels by not becoming too narrow in focus, a condition that can lead to decline with advanced experience. Truly gifted break-through creatives tend to learn at a slower pace, allowing for the gradual accumulation of deep and integrative learning based on more challenging and frustrating problems. With jazz composition/performance and Dave Brubeck the example, Epstein described Brubeck’s mother’s unsuccessful attempt to teach him to play piano by reading notes. The youthful Brubeck chose instead to improvise and didn’t learn to read music until declaring himself a music major as a senior in college. For Brubeck, the complex problem of mixing instruments and performers in the spontaneous act of improvisation was something for which formal training could only provide tools, rather than the genius of creativity.

The challenge of living into Epstein’s thesis of gradual and integrative learning is that we live in a time that incentivizes hyperspecialization that begins as early as possible and narrows quickly before we are mature enough to judge our interests and talents. With three-quarters of American university graduates pursuing careers unrelated to their majors, there is clear evidence that focusing on specialization fails to prepare many for what they will “do” in life. By contrast, education in the modern, complex world we inhabit would perhaps be more meaningful and effective by cultivating playful, exploratory, and reproducible insights in creative learners, attributes that result in “mental meandering and personal experimentation as sources of power” (locator, page 290, Conclusion).