Bows and Arrows

               Blunt Arrows, Blurred Targets and Bent Bows.

Where Leadership has Failed Young People

There are numerous factors that are affecting the prominence of leadership amongst young people and some that are difficult to readjust. However developing skills, creating targets and coordinating networks are areas that can and should be used to boost the relevance and visibility of leadership amongst young people. If we can sharpen their arrows, set clear targets and provide a strong bow that can propel them, there are no limits to where our young people can go.


When I wrote my application for the 2011  ‘Uprising’ programme (a programme that develops leaders in London aged 19-25), I cited that the issue I believed to be most pressing about the state of the local community was the degree of apathy amongst its people. There is a great deal of disaffection within communities that is caused in part, by a feeling of lack of belonging and an extreme lack of self-value.

I wrote that growing up in London, a built up city with it’s own life and relentless pace could be intimidating for an individual. Standing in the face of it and bowing to the feeling that it can and would go on without him or her was belittling. The perception that he or she can be easily replaced, dismissed or forgotten; a disposable piece on a ruthless conveyor belt would cause a damaging perception of self-value and self-worth.

            A self-worth that is crucial to the productivity of the current generation. A person with out self-respect quickly loses respect for others. People who have little empathy for themselves will similarly have little empathy for anyone else. The ill manner in which they treat others and their environment is often just a projection of their own self-worth. The cost of which was demonstrated so aptly during the summer riots of 2011.

            There is a higher price also. The sub plot to every scene of dysfunction and destructive pattern of behaviour is the lost opportunity of fulfilled potential. Between the lines of every negative article or sentence spoken about youth unemployment, crime and delinquency is a tale of starved talent- a misused, misrepresented and blunted ability drifting in obscurity.

            When talents are made to lie dormant they are invariably diminished like a blunt arrow slowly losing its effectiveness. There are a generation of young people so demotivated that they are neither honing nor utilising their skills. This definition crosses boundaries of race, gender and class. It is a generational problem that faces a downward spiral. The more people who lay their talents to waste the less examples there are of the skills being operated at the highest level and the level required to be at the top of the pile is reduced. Since iron sharpens iron the lack of competition only deepens the issue.

When one has an arrow, what would naturally follow is the expectancy to have targets. However many in this current generation have so far detached their abilities from what they feel is required to ‘get into work,’ that it is often the case that they do not set any. Even when one is aware of their own potential it might still be a challenge to identify where that potential could take them. The lack of good targets can lead to a demotivated aimlessness. Careers then lack cohesion and are often inconsistently and haphazardly approached.

Furthermore when one is aware of their strengths and is able to identify clear aims and objectives, there can still be many barriers on the way to being a successful leader. Although its true that one can get far on individual skill and hard work, it is also clear that having the right people around or assisting you is paramount to any true success. A lack of role models, mentors and facilitators is damaging to the current community and leaves many a young persons potential unfulfilled. What young people need is the environment to develop their skills, create clear passages to their goals and have in place key facilitators to help set them on their way.

Many young people are unsure on how far there skill set can get them. Some settle for constantly sharpening their arrows (through excessive studies and qualifications) but have no plan of passage to follow. Having access to relevant knowledge and a network, which can provide it, is often what can propel a person from one stage of their career to another; like a bow in the hands of a skilled archer that is used to make use of the sharp arrow and hit the target whatever it may be. All arrows should point towards opportunities that are derived specifically from the individual’s skill set. The clear targets mean that all efforts are harmonious and working towards a common goal, strengthening the chances of success.

              What we need is a robust and dynamic strategy that involves quickly identifying skills in young people, bringing them to the fore and encouraging their development. We need to help them create clear targets and identify multiple avenues of success that make use of their sharpened skills. We need for these targets to be accessible and for there to be considerable guidance on the way to reaching these goals. Whether the support comes from teachers, coaches or mentors our young people are dependent on sufficient provision of knowledge, insight and access. If they are to see further it will be for standing on the shoulders of giants.

It is one thing to have the skills, another to know where you want them to take you, and yet another thing to be able to navigate the journey to get there. There is a need for a new generation of young leaders to spring forth, there is a call to leadership in all aspects  of business and social enterprise, there is a pool of talent ready to answer the call, and it is only a bow and an arrow away.