Who Are Our Most Admired Leaders?

Who do young people pick as their leadership role models?

For years, I’ve asked college students to list their most admired leaders. In the past, the majority of the named leaders were the country’s political leaders, well-known business leaders, sports heroes, or leaders of social movements. But in the past decade, things have changed.

More recently, when I ask students about their most admired leaders, the majority select a leader who has had some direct personal impact on them and their lives. More and more, the most admired leaders are parents/relatives, coaches, mentors, or direct supervisors.

Why the shift? It is likely due to a shift in perceptions of leaders. For decades, our most admired leaders were great national or world leaders: the leaders during World War II (Churchill, Roosevelt), or leaders of major social movements (Gandhi, ML King Jr., Mandela). Perhaps the change coincided with the many national leaders and business leaders who became embroiled in scandals (e.g. Bill Clinton, as well as the many politicians — governors, senators, members of congress who have been indicted, imprisoned, or forced to resign). In the business world, there are many CEOs who are fired for their own scandals and misdeeds. Even sports heroes are tainted (think Tiger Woods; steroid-using professional athletes, etc.).

What happens when these highly-visible leaders let us down? Perhaps young people have given up on top-level leaders and look to those leaders who have impacted their lives — the ones who have proven that they can lead without scandal or letting them down — as their admired, positive role models.

For Development: Consider the leaders you admired when you were growing up? Why did they deserve your admiration? What does it take to be an admired leader today? To have impact on others? Consider this in your own leader development.