Lessons from Charleston, SC: New Leadership Model Needed

Charleston officials just completed a new strategic plan for economic development. My friend and colleague Ed Morrison assisted Charleston areas leaders with the plan. A recent Charleston newspaper article focuses on the need for "new leadership" to make the plan happen. What type of leadership is called for? Leadership that meets this challenge described in the report: "Our business leadership does not reflect the racial, sexual and economic diversity of businesses in the region. Encouraging more diversity will strengthen our business leadership over the long term and improve the quality of our regional decision-making."

I have posted this article because I am finding exactly the same thing in many of the plans and strategies that I have prepared and facilitated for areas over the past several years--a new generation of leadership is needed to make things happen.

I have been working with an emerging leadership group in Greater Cleveland called the Cleveland Bridgebuilders on the notion of creating "inter-generational" leadership teams that involve young, old, existing, and emerging leaders in more powerful and dynamic ways to make things happen in the NE Ohio region. The old concept of leading one generation at a time is too slow and not powerful enough to make the "foundational" changes that many areas must make to become competitive in an increasingly cut-throat global economy.

It is also fair to add that the "ED ballgame is changing in some very fundamental ways" with increased offshore outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions and other two-edged business strategies being put into place by companies worldwide. The new generation of ED leaders must be capable of navigating in this new, more intensely competitive environment. This won't be easy for any of us!