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I find that many thoughts tend to keep me up at night, since I am quite fond of pondering our collective futures: the type of world we wish to leave our grandchildren, the manner in which we preserve our biosphere, and how we can become better global citizens. Such endeavors require effective leadership to galvanize individuals en masse, so that these collective goals can come to fruition. But there is just one big problem: no one seems to know if any such leaders exist.
Recall, for example, a fairly recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center, in which Latinos were asked a simple question: “Name the person who you consider to be the most important Latino leader in the country today.” A whopping 64 percent of respondents answered “I don’t know.” This resultant leadership void has, unfortunately, been filled by a sea of charlatans.
It is easy for the average person to confuse a charlatan for a leader. After all, both look excellent on the proverbial paper. Yet, careful examination reveals three distinct differences.
Personal experiences vs. broader perspective: Read almost any self-help book, and this distinction becomes quite clear. Charlatans are notorious for identifying a social problem (or a common personal issue), and offering no clear solution other than, “Be more like me and do what I did.” Real leaders understand that the world is bigger than the 100-mile radius around their lives and, more importantly, realize that limited personal experiences cannot be extrapolated to make broad conclusions about certain groups of individuals.
Ideas that garner applause vs. ideas that contain substance: Look no further than the rhetoric within public and political discourse surrounding the various educational achievement gaps. Charlatans are fond of creating applause-inducing sound bites to capitalize on people’s tendency to overemphasize the role of personal responsibility, and place blame at the hand of supposedly lazy groups of students and teachers. Real leaders understand that there is a larger systemic issue at play that requires dedication to eradicating systems of injustice.
“I did it all” vs. “We will do this together”: Perhaps the most insidious quality of charlatans is that they tend to always attribute their own perceived successes to nothing other than their own willingness to “work hard” in the absence of any help from anyone. Real leaders not only acknowledge their own privileges (and how those privileges influenced their success), but also seek to uplift the community and ensure its collective success, rather than perceiving their community as a detriment.
True leaders are, quite frankly, difficult to find. In today’s world of media sound bites, YouTube videos, 140-character tweets and self-aggrandizing Facebook statuses, true leaders don’t typically “trend.” In a society where egocentric narcissism has become a sort of virtue, and where self-sacrifice is seen as a weakness rather than a moral and civic obligation, true leadership is sadly in short supply.
The job is still open, ladies and gentlemen. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
About Nick Baez
I think the above comment by Mr. Jaregui is indicative of the sort of misguided superiority that is pervasive in our culture. It says–what are we? Sheep?– As if to assert individuality above the obvious elephant in the room–Mr. Baez is spot on in his analysis. We lack, among many things, strong leadership. Is it a massive case of low self-esteem, apathy, or simply the “crab barrel” effect? (Whereby we all seem to pull each other down rather than build ourselves up?) Whatever the case may be, (and you know I have my own jaded opinions) the fact that real leadership is missing cannot be denied. Following greatness does not make you a sheep, it makes you wise. The problem with Mr. Jaregui’s statement, is that it lacks imagination– it lacks belief that a great leader, a person perhaps greater than Mr. Jaregui himself, could possibly exist. It almost says “My judgement is the best out there, there can be nothing greater than my own opinions–and I will govern myself because of it” But none of us lives in a vacuum–our worlds are invariably touched by the judgements of others in the policies created to manage the rest of us. It is no great leap to connect the dots from a Latino point of view and notice a disturbing trend–we are largely managed by those ignorant to who we are and what we want. Leadership is imperative.
Nick Baez, your ideas are always spot-on. Thanks for your wisdom.
¨Searching for a Latino Leader?¨ Are we sheeps or are we individuals?
I disagree with this article. I’ve learned from the Civil Rights movement; we mustn’t spend our time waiting for the next Cesar Chávez or MLK/Malcolm X. If we spend all our time griping about this we won’t develop the leadership skills so that we can ALL be agents of change. When I wake up in the morning I see my own hero and I hope everyone starts seeing the same thing when they wake up. That’s really what our community deserves anyway.
i dont have faith in any of “our” politicians,at times it seems like they have forgotten where they are from or even the “struggle”, but anyways all they seem to do is follow the party lines,sad but true
I don’t think the article refutes the importance of the kind of leadership you’re talking about, Ingrid. I think it’s more a critique of the kind of self aggrandizing individuals we usually take for leaders (as opposed to real leadership, which can be more distributed).
Sure I’ll take the job. How much does it pay?
lol
Moises: first of all, the plural of “sheep” is “sheep.” Second, even a cursory examination of anthropological data clearly shows that the “rugged individualism” you are always so fond of exalting leads societies to collapse, not excel. And to the other commentators so far, read the article. It does not even come close to stating that we should “sit around and wait for a singular leader.” Rather, it distinguishes between true leadership and false leadership, based on often easily confused character traits.
Nope don’t need a leader thank you very much. Have my owm its called a combo of my family my conscience and God
You can tell who read the actual article and who hasn’t just by reading the comments. LOL!!! #Fail
Excellent article as always, Nick!
Wait, you mean people are expected to read the actual article before they comment?!? How novel.
Jorge: the “all I need is me and my own” myth has long been debunked. Read the article and not just the headline.
Yeah, it’s a new concept brought on by people that are tired of sticking their foot in their mouths, or as they say in PR, “por ser tan afrenta’o!” LOL!
So nice I read it twice! Loved this part, many people here should read and take heed. “Charlatans are notorious for identifying a social problem (or a common personal issue), and offering no clear solution other than, “Be more like me and do what I did.” Real leaders understand that the world is bigger than the 100-mile radius around their lives and, more importantly, realize that limited personal experiences cannot be extrapolated to make broad conclusions about certain groups of individuals.”
You can’t paint a broad wall with a thin brush. Personal experience cannot be used when looking to address a societal issue. “If I did it, so can you” especially when the resources and opportunities that were within reach for you, are out of reach for others, is both thoughtless and nonconstructive towards finding a solution.
Excellent commentary, Nelson.
Gracias!
What a pointless article…but to be fair if someone can walk away with some added value after reading this POV, more power to ‘em…
As usual, Charles brings his wonderful insight and expertise to the discussion.
Reading this article made me think of Mayor Carcetti from “The Wire.” Basically becoming a charlatan in every sense of the word throughout his tenure on the show.
The article advises us to be wary of who we designate to lead because they can be in it for all the wrong reasons. We don’t really want to end up with an Al Sharpton that is only around when the cameras are rolling.
And we can “all be agents of change,” but we can’t all be leaders, Ingrid. That’s the biggest pipe dream ever. Leadership is necessary in virtually every facet of society. That’s just Life 101.
“I don’t know.”
Ricky Martin no question. Next Walter Mercado.
According to the article ” I don’t know” . So sad.
All of us!!!
I think it’s a sort of misguided question, though. The issues that concern Latinos are varied, and I doubt there could be one leader that would represent all, or even the majority of Latinos. Can we say the concerns of Puerto Ricans mirror those of Mexicans and are akin to Venezuelans, Cubans or Panamanians? Likewise, Latinos in NY, FL, CA or AZ all have different concerns, regardless of their country of origin. In many cases their struggles are similar, but I can’t say that we all fall under the same umbrella or that there ever could be one leader that could truly represent us all. At best, we can hope for leaders that represent different Latino groups. Or as Jerry said above, we can be our own leaders.
Its a tie between George Lopez and Pitbull
I will be the voice for the Hispanic community. My name is Nguyen Rodriguez and I will be running for city councilman for the 10th district in NYC. In 2 years time I hope to gather enough support from the kind hard-working people living in Washington Heights. I grew up in Washington Heights and still have a lot of family who resides there. Right now, I’m a law student. I plan to work hard so I can someday be the voice of people who work hard, but have a sad history of corrupted leaders. People are tired of the same old lies, presented in different suits. If you are interested in helping out in the Washington heights community or want to see how you can help me build a campaign which truly represents the people, please inbox me for more details. Thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of your day.
Every Latino that earns a honest paycheck, and creates a better world around themselves is a leader.
I don’t know
I don’t know
The Pope