THE FUNCTION OF CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THOUGHT IN THE EVOLUTION OF LEADERSHIP: HAVE LEADERS TRADITIONALLY BEEN CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKERS?
The answer to the question posed in the title of this essay likely depends on oneÆs definition of a leader. The really great an successful leaders in throughout history most certainly applied critical thinking to the situations confronting them as a part of the process of developing creating strategies that not only solved the immediate problem demanding attention, but also transformed the ways in which people addressed situations. These characteristics applied to leaders of society (political leaders, such as Julius Caesar), to leaders of armies (military leaders, such a Napoleon), and leaders of industry (business titans, such as Henry Ford). Did all leaders throughout history practice leadership in this way? The answer is ôof course notö.
Most leaders throughout history have lurched along from one crisis to the next in much the same way as most leaders behave today. At times, such leaders attain some of their goals. Seldom, however, do any of these leaders transcend the mundane or transform the way situations are confronted.
Did Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Henry Ford know that they were applying the process of critical thinking to arrive at a creative solution? The likely answer is ôprobably notö, as they had more important issues to consider than such twaddle as managerial guru concepts such as critical thinking and creative leadership. That these leaders were not consciously aware of the function of creative and critical thought in the practice of effective leadership, however, does not diminish the importance of the function.
Is the application of creative and critical thought in the practice of leadership more important today than it has been in the past? The answer to this question is a qualified ôyesö for two reasons. First, as Peter Vaill (1996), a mana...