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21St Century Leadership

The intent of this paper is to review some of the qualities and traits of leadership that will be critical as American society continues into the 21st century. The focus of this paper will be on societal leadership, specifically, the political leadership of the United States. This paper will present the theory that there are several skills necessary in our leadership for the continued success of American society.

There can be no question that the future holds great challenges for our future leaders. Where will scientific advances and technological advances be in twenty years? Where will they be in fifty years? What unique stresses and challenges will be presented by these advances? American military predominance may very likely continue for the foreseeable future, but what about American economic predominance? The challenges for American political leadership will likely be as unpredictable as they will be relentless. The qualities of emotional intelligence, as characterized by Daniel Goleman, in his book Emotional Intelligence will serve as the guideline for much of this discussion.

In Resonant Leadership; Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion authors Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee outline the highly stressful condition that leadership faces in today’s challenging business environment. Resonant Leadership continues the work begun in Daniel Goleman’s work on Emotional Intelligence. Authors Boyatzis and McKee apply the concepts of emotional intelligence to business leadership roles. As leaders experience extended periods of high stress, they fall in to what the authors call “dissonance.” Just as in business leadership, these highly stressful conditions also exist for society’s leadership. Both business and societal leaders can greatly benefit from the advice and prescriptions outlined in Resonant Leadership.

According to Boyatzis and McKee, one of the skill sets of a resonant leader is...