{"id":7889,"date":"2026-02-27T11:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aomtodayprod.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=7889"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:09:43","slug":"why-many-qualified-leaders-arent-stepping-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aom.org\/today\/why-many-qualified-leaders-arent-stepping-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Many Qualified Leaders Aren\u2019t Stepping up"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Paul Friedman<\/a><\/p>\n

Many people ask why we rarely seem to have the inspiring political leaders who we need at pivotal moments in a country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Academy of Management Scholar Adam Galinsky<\/a> of Columbia Business School answered that it\u2019s because being a leader is not only challenging but\u2014especially these days\u2014often so punishing. He noted that being an effective leader takes more than talent and ability; it takes a willingness to have one\u2019s decisions scrutinized and to stand tall while taking a beating in the public square.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a famous treatise by Plato: \u2018Those who don\u2019t seek power are the ones fit to hold it\u2019\u2014the problem is that when a leader is not motivated by the spoils of leadership, it becomes hard to endure the slings and arrows that occur in the everyday turns of fortune of leadership,\u201d Galinsky said. \u201cBeing a leader is hard, and it makes sense that people shy away from it. But then we get stuck with narcissistic people in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlato suggested that we should seek out reluctant leaders,\u201d he said. \u201cThe person who is a leader, not because he wants the spoils of leadership, but [rather] because he doesn\u2019t want to be governed by someone who is a horrible leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so, the person is willing to sacrifice for the greater good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Galinsky said the cost-benefit analysis of being a leader is tougher than ever because of how frequently people in positions of power get attacked these days.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of it is technology\u2014it\u2019s greater exposure via Twitter and other social-media platforms that quickly turns into viral outrage,\u201d Galinsky said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want people to act the right way, you have to both reward people who act the right way and hold them up as visionary exemplars of acting in the right way,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is unfortunately scarce in our political world right now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Friedman Many people ask why we rarely seem to have the inspiring political leaders who we need at pivotal moments in a country\u2019s history. Academy of Management Scholar Adam Galinsky of Columbia Business School answered that it\u2019s because being a leader is not only challenging but\u2014especially these days\u2014often so punishing. He noted that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":7406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,71,19,78],"tags":[],"sp_smart_badges":[],"ppma_author":[842],"class_list":["post-7889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behavior","category-communicating","category-leadership","category-policy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Many Qualified Leaders Aren\u2019t Stepping up - Academy of Management Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many people ask why we rarely seem to have the inspiring political leaders who we need at pivotal moments in a country\u2019s history. 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