Zombie Ideas in Agricultural Leadership

by Eric Kaufman--

A few months ago, The Leadership Quarterly published an article on “Zombie leadership: Dead ideas that still walk among us” (Haslam et al., 2024).  The article focuses on the “strong residual commitment to an older set of ideas which have been repeatedly debunked but which nevertheless resolutely refuse to die” (p. 1).  For example, one of the axioms of zombie leadership is that “leadership is a special skill limited to special people.”  This belief persists, despite “mountains of research” that highlight the detrimental effects of leadership approaches based on elitism (e.g., focusing on “high potentials”).  These zombie ideas are problematic because they limit the potential of leadership development.  As noted in the article:

“By only looking for leadership amongst leaders we only find it there and bury all signs of leadership from below. By only recognizing, training, selecting and nurturing a few in positions of leadership we ensure that only a few develop the qualities associated with leadership.” (Haslam et al., 2024, p. 9)

When I consider the context of agriculture, I see a number of Zombie ideas that are limiting the potential for effective leadership.  Since the emergence of the Kellogg Farmers Study Program in 1965, there has been broad awareness of the importance of leadership development at all levels of agriculture (Kaufman et al., 2012).  Even still, the idea persists that technical skill development is sufficient preparation for agricultural careers.  For example, a study published this past summer reveals agricultural employers believe durable skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and cross-cultural competence are important, yet they are not prioritizing funding for related training (McDonald et al., 2024). Perhaps even more concerning, research indicates that students recognize the importance of “soft skills” (including oral communication skills, effective use of written communication skills, planning and completing projects, analyzing information to solve problems, teamwork, and leadership skills), yet they doubt current schooling can strengthen such skills (Juhász & Horváth-Csikós, 2021). 


The images depicts the outdated leadership ideas that persist, with zombie-like figures symbolizing these dead concepts still walking among us.

While stakeholders in agriculture recognize leadership can be learned (Kaufman et al., 2010), the persistent emphasis (or over emphasis) on technical skills seems to be overshadowing the potential for attention to leadership development.  The zombie idea that “soft skills” are secondary to technical expertise creates a dangerous feedback loop: agricultural education doesn’t invest in developing durable skills because they are not seen as essential, and employers don’t demand them because they assume technical skill development is the only outcome to expect from educational programs. In order to stave off the zombie apocalypse, agricultural leadership must pivot toward valuing durable skills as foundational, not supplementary, to workforce success. Leaders need to challenge zombie ideas, recognizing that equipping the next generation of agricultural workers with strong communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills will foster more resilient and adaptive teams. By investing in these areas, the sector can ensure its workforce is prepared not just for today’s challenges but for future, unforeseen crises.


References

Haslam, S. A., Alvesson, M., & Reicher, S. D. (2024). Zombie leadership: Dead ideas that still walk among us. The Leadership Quarterly, 101770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2023.101770 

Juhász, T., & Horváth-Csikós, G. (2021). The emergence of soft skills in agricultural education. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19(3), 453. http://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(3).2021.37 

Kaufman, E. K., Rateau, R. J., Carter, H. S., & Strickland, L. R. (2012). What’s context got to do with it? An exploration of leadership development programs for the agricultural community. Journal of Leadership Education, 11(1), 121-139. https://doi.org/10.12806/V11/I1/RF7 

Kaufman, E. K., Rateau, R. J., Ellis, K. C., Kasperbauer, H. J., & Stacklin, L. R. (2010). Leadership program planning: Assessing the needs and interests of the agricultural community. Journal of leadership education, 9(1), 122-143. https://doi.org/10.12806/V9/I1/RF8 

McDonald, N., Luke, J., & Cosby, A. (2024). Non-Technical Skills Needed for the Current and Next-Generation Agricultural Workforce. Agriculture, 14(7), 1106. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14071106 

Acknowledgement

The image within this blog post was created with DALL·E 3 using OpenIA (2024) ChatGPT [large language model].  

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