This week’s essay prompt is a speech by William Deresiewicz in which he discusses the role of solitude in leadership. In the speech, Deresiewicz suggests that leadership skills are acquired through the kind of independent thought that can only be obtained in solitude, and that unfortunately, today’s youth are too distracted and lack the solitude needed to become good leaders. In turn, Deresiewicz believes that this country is failing to provide the next round of good leaders. In this paper I will discuss where I agree as well as disagree with Deresiewicz’s speech and I will look at how young people become good leaders.
Early on in his speech, Deresiewicz makes a significant point when he explains to his audience that qualities such as aptitude,
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In fact, Deresiewicz believes that many of the people that have gained leadership positions over the recent years do possess those qualities, yet they are not equipped to be good leaders. The reason given for this is that young people are being trained to excel at maneuvering their way up a bureaucratic environment, but they are not being trained to think for themselves about what that environment entails. Young people are growing up with too many distractions, which inhibits them from being alone with their thoughts and prevent them from experiencing the solitude that makes for good leadership. For this reason, Deresiewicz suggests that America is experiencing a “crisis of leadership.” I agree that for many years, young people were raised to believe that everyone who did what they were supposed to do were entitled to success. Take for example, the millennial generation; they have the stigma of being called the “trophy generation” because they grew up in a world where success was handed out equally to all. While this may not hold true for all millennial’s, it does signify the mindset that the speaker was referring to when he delivered the speech back in 2010. It is a mindset that taught children that if each of