An Open Letter to the Person About to Write a Leadership Article

Summary

The article is a satirical plea for writers to consider originality and thorough research when contributing to the already oversaturated topic of leadership.

Abstract

In an open letter addressed to aspiring leadership article authors, the writer humorously points out the irony of adding to an already exhaustive body of literature on leadership. The author acknowledges the allure of writing about leadership due to its relevance in the face of poor global leadership examples. However, they caution against the tendency to repackage existing ideas without proper acknowledgment or depth of understanding, suggesting that many new articles are derivative of foundational works by scholars and thinkers such as Peter Drucker and Frances Hesselbein, often without realizing it. The article emphasizes the importance of recognizing and building upon the extensive research and insights provided by established experts in the field, rather than settling for superficial interpretations based on a single blog post or popular TED Talk.

Opinions

The author expresses skepticism about the originality and depth of research in new leadership articles, suggesting that many are unoriginal and under-researched.
There is a critique of the practice of borrowing (or stealing) ideas without proper attribution, highlighting the long history of such practices as noted by Mark Twain.
The article underscores the importance of understanding the historical context of leadership theories, referencing seminal works that are often overlooked by contemporary writers.
There is a clear distinction made between modern, well-known thinkers who have contributed significantly to the field and those who merely skim the surface of leadership topics.
The writer humorously challenges the reader to write a leadership article that is truly groundbreaking, while also expressing doubt that such an article would emerge from a superficial engagement with the subject matter.
The tone is satirical yet educational, aiming to encourage more rigorous scholarship and original thought in the discourse on leadership.

Can you write about something else instead?

Image: Liza Summer/Pexels

Dear Unoriginal and Under-researched,

Look, I get it. Leadership is a tantalizing topic, maybe even sexy, especially these days. With so many glaring examples of bad leadership in the world, it’s easy to understand why someone might want to contribute yet another article to an already over-saturated canon.

You’ll definitely offer a unique perspective nobody has thought about before. No doubt about that. And your perspective will be built upon extensive experience, like skimming an article from one of this platform’s popular, neo-brilliant “thought leaders.”

But here’s the thing.

That one golden nugget of information you’ll focus on? It will be someone’s watered-down interpretation of another notion — something benign, like, “Let your strengths dictate your strategy!”

You’ll think that’s brilliant, because you won’t know they borrowed (stole) that from Gill Corkindale’s Harvard Business Review piece from a dozen years ago. And to burst your bubble further, Corkindale was simply building on the good wisdom from Peter Drucker all the way back in 1967.

And Drucker was building on something else which was built on something else, and so on. (It’s just like Mark Twain said: There is no such thing as a new idea — which he, too, borrowed.)

Nevertheless, you’ll persist. And the worst part about it? You won’t even know you’re also borrowing (stealing) because you’ve never even heard of Gill Corkindale. Or Peter Drucker. Or Frances Hesselbein. Or Peter Northouse. Or Barbara Kellerman. Or Mary Parker Follett. Or Robert Greenleaf.

You’re familiar with names like Simon Sinek. And Adam Grant. And Brené Brown. And Seth Godin. All members of the new-age leadership industrial complex. “Big Leadership,” if you will.

And don’t get me wrong, these modern thinkers and organizationists are quite exceptional. Their TED Talks are all wonderful and they’ve sold tens of thousands of books — I own all of them.

But they did the work. They know all the names mentioned above and more. They did years of research, studying the uniqueness and confounding nature of leadership and organizational life. They struggled with the hard questions over hours of sleepless nights and graduate theses and doctoral degrees and peer-reviewed journal entries.

You… half-read one blog post.

But sure, go ahead.

Write that leadership article. Inspire the next generation of borrowers (stealers) with great fervor.

Your idea will be totally, wholly groundbreaking and breathtaking.

Definitely.

Insincerely, and unimpressed, Evan