Abstract
The complexity of the world today requires leadership that is interconnected rather than self-serving. This is particularly important within the context of agriculture, a field at the forefront of the complex problems associated with the impact of climate change. In recent years, the role virtues play in effective leadership has gained a significant amount of attention. One particular virtue that has seen increased attention in the leadership research is humility. Humility has been identified as a way to counteract the negative outcomes of self-serving leadership, namely, unethical practices and leader narcissism. Over the past several decades, researchers and scholars have begun to shed light on the many benefits this elusive virtue brings to leadership, however, many questions remain, notably, “How do humble leaders develop their leadership?” The present qualitative study found that humble agriculture leaders develop their leadership style through (a) the development of strong personal values, (b) investments in human and social capital, and (c) supportive feedback. The findings from this research provide recommendations for agricultural leadership educators to consider when building leadership programs that have the goal of developing humble leaders ready to address complex problems in the context of agriculture and natural resources.
Highlights
Introduction and Problem StatementWe live in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) world, burdened with complex, adaptive, problems that hold no easy solutions (Kinsinger & Walch, 2012; Satterwhite et al, 2015; Heifetz & Linsky, 2002)
Leader centric models are still prevalent in the leadership landscape, which may be one reason for increased leader narcissism, unethical behaviors and ineffective leadership practices addressing these complex challenges (Morris et al, 2005)
The current study explores this gap found in the leadership literature associated with the development of humble leaders in the context of agriculture and natural resources
Summary
We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) world, burdened with complex, adaptive, problems that hold no easy solutions (Kinsinger & Walch, 2012; Satterwhite et al, 2015; Heifetz & Linsky, 2002) This is especially true for those taking on leadership roles in the context of agriculture and natural resources. Whether it is currently addressing the issues of a global pandemic or feeding a population of 9.6 billion people by the year 2050, these are some of the most pressing adaptive challenges our world faces (Stedman & Andenoro, 2015; Roberts et al, 2016). The role of virtues as an important element of effective leadership has gained traction over the past two decades in the leadership research (Pearce et al, 2006)
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