Hi, Chip - interesting post, as always.

I think you are on to something with your description of the changing role of leadership.  As social structures change, so do the needs for different ways of interacting and using power.

One sentence really stood out for me - the one about your granddaughter's soccer team.  I also have qualms about the "trophies for all" mentality that seems pervasive these days.    Providing equal recognition to all when the contributions were not equal seems unfair and counterproductive, if the goals are to assure effective teamwork and build individual esteem.

However, I do think that everyone receiving a trophy can be a positive thing.  After all, professional football players who win the Super Bowl ALL get rings, right?

The issue here may be more that individual performance is not always recognized, so those who work harder and give more do not feel their efforts are rewarded.

If you are on a children's sports team, you may stop trying as hard to help the team win.

If you are in a corporation, you may also just fade into the desolation of doing "just enough" or simply walk out the door, never to return.

Maybe a more effective approach would be to do both:

1)  Recognize the team's efforts, because nobody scores a touchdown completely on their own.  It's a team effort, as are most of our human accomplishments.  Even Olympic athletes depend on many others for support of all kinds.

2)  Recognize the individual contributions that stand out as beyond expectations or unusally effective.   That quarterback who runs the ball in still has to get over the goalline without dropping the ball, even with half the people close to him doing whatever they can to stop that from happening.

Just my thoughts on one small part of your excellent post:)

John