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38 www.canadianlawyermag.com FEATURE LEADERSHIP can give their people. The reason for this is simple: If it were easy, everyone would do it. Soon after a high performer is put into a position of being responsible for other people, the reality sets in that it's not easy. It's hard because no longer do you get to think about yourself all the time — you are required to think about others and what's in their best interest before your own. Here are a few reasons why leadership is harder than ever before. Higher expectations People are no longer satisfied or willing to put up with average to below average leadership. Thanks to websites like Glassdoor, social media posts and "best places to work" lists, people know there are great companies and great leadership in the workplace. There are two caveats here. First, people often feel they are stuck in jobs with poor leadership because of what they are being paid. They have built their lives around the salary they make, and taking the risk to change or explore isn't something worth changing. The second caveat is that average performers don't mind sticking around for poor leadership. Generational differences I hate the word "millennial." If I have to hear one more time how different they are, I'm going to lose it. If there's any gen- eration that might be different by a large degree, it's gen Z, which is currently entering the work- force. Either way, these two generations (myself included) do desire things like praise, experienc- es, mentorship and the feeling of being invested in slightly more than previous generations. (These factors have always been important; they're just slightly more important today.) So, figuring out the right balance can be challenging. LEADERSHIP IS struggling in organizations — and that might be an understatement. The disengagement rate of employees is at an all-time high. The current failure rate for a new leader in an organization is 60%, and 71% of organizations don't feel their leaders can lead them into the future. Taking these facts into consideration, along with all the time I have spent studying leaders, I believe the best leaders have never been better. I don't know if there has ever been a time in history with more self-aware, hungry and motivated leaders who believe it's their purpose to make a difference in the lives of other people — what we call "welder leaders." What this has caused is a growing divide between leaders and non-leaders, not the other way around. A larger number of people go to work every day thinking about what their people owe them versus what they Organizational leadership is harder than ever before, writes John Eades, but the right mindset and behaviours will allow leaders to meet this challenge The challenge of organizational leadership