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.