Simplification
The most common strategy in portraying leadership in the business media
is simplification. Leadership, be it as an action, a process, or agency,
is often depicted simplistically. Its defining elements are minimized.
Similarly, the work or process required to acquire the capacity to
become a leader is lessened. For example, in the “7 Harsh Truths That
Will Improve Your Leadership Skills Overnight” (Inc . March 27,
2018), the writes reduce the capacity to be an effective leader to a few
steps that can be completed “overnight.”
Evidence of a simplifying orientation is present not only in the
selection of leadership traits and characteristics, but also in the use
of words such as “easy,” “simple,” and “fast.” In “3 Easy Ways to
Help Your People Become Great Leaders” (Inc ., July 6, 2017), the
writer does not only deploy few characteristics, but also he uses the
word “easy” to show the “ordinariness” of the learning process.
These texts, like many other leadership texts in the press and popular
books, claim “leadership greatness” is not only possible, but also
easy to attain:
Illustrative Excerpt 1
After studying the assessments of over 20,000 leaders … there is
a way for you to improve as a leader much quicker than traditional
thinking. (Inc., Nov 21, 2017)
In addition to minimizing the quality of leadership to a few traits,
habits and character and directly using words synonymous with
“simplify,” the articles claim that access to certain types of
information or materials can also make someone a great leader. In “30
Motivational Quotes That Will Inspire You to Lead” (Inc. April,
13, 2017), reading certain lines from “great” leaders is claimed to be
inspiring. A significant number of writers in the business media
empathizes the value of watching TED videos. For example, in “25 TED
Talks That Will Make You a Better Leader” (Inc. September 14,
2015), the writer identifies 25 TED talks that he promises to be
transforming.