Leadership is not and never will be the same. Over the last two years we have experienced many disappointments and betrayals by those in whom we placed our trust. To solve any major problem, we must always seek root issues. Rather than a crisis in ethics, the seeming collapse of our leadership may have been a symptom of a succession system that was broken on many levels.

As a leadership advisor in Fortune 100 organizations over the last 10 years, I have noticed a growing sense of entitlement, as well as an increasing impatience with career progression. Bright, competent individuals expected to continue their advance at the same rate they had experienced as younger employees. Unfortunately, the math does not work. There are fewer jobs at the higher levels.

If these young and talented people did not move forward in a time frame they deemed acceptable, they often used their disappointment as a reason to move on, peddling and often inflating their credentials for the rank they desired.

When they got what they wanted, as they sometimes did, they were too often unready for their assignment. Rarely did they see their performance issues as related to their own lack of preparation for their responsibility. Instead, as the pressure increased, they would seek the next assignment. The economy seemed to support them in their quest for more title, more power, and greater incentives.

Why would unseasoned and untested young people continue moving up the food chain when they were not really ready? It was too easy to do. HR departments were faced with losing their talent or keeping up with this demanding group of individuals and their expectations. Our organizations were confronted with either creating the roles, titles, and compensation packages as a means to keep their employees engaged, or losing them to companies who were willing to do so.

Instead of learning how to make difficult decisions that might make them look bad in the short term, many of our leaders became masters of creating the illusion of success. They created more and more complicated business models which allowed them to continue impressing their audiences. Unfortunately, they had to run faster and faster in order to outrun the inevitable recognition that they were building a house of cards.

We cannot just blame our leaders. Too many of us have participated in the evolution of "illusion" as a business practice. If someone dared to tell the truth, they were punished by a system that did not know how to handle tough or unsavory outcomes.

What we are facing

There are many would-be leaders who continue to think of themselves as the elite. Even as they refuse to accept the responsibility that comes with all of the perks, many have become frozen in indecisiveness and control freak tendencies that reflect their lack of maturity. Others persist in perpetuating the illusions of success with even more complicated and unstable business practices.

Who will "take on" these people who make our overall situation more and more fragile?

If there was ever a moment in which the HR community had an opportunity to increase its relevance to its businesses, this is that moment. To develop seasoned, modest, and courageous leaders from a group of entitled, spoiled bureaucrats who have learned to shut out negative feedback takes serious intent, sophisticated skills, and audacity. It can not be overstated how difficult the intervention will be and how necessary it is.

Leadership is not an intellectual exercise. It is a kind of wisdom and courage under adversity. If HR is to help create these leaders for the future, they must take on the current leaders and find the right processes and choices to cultivate the "up and comers". Our new leaders must be tough, patient, humble and wise.

HR must prepare with the same diligence that our Special Forces prepare for combat. Learning to be "tough" is not easy. Standing up to spoiled, entitled leaders will be your worst nightmare. But, it must be done.

We have no choice. If we don't learn how to do "tough love" on ourselves and each other, the economy will continue to do so.

Toni Lynn Chinoy is the founder of Harlan-Evans, Inc (a leadership training firm) and an executive coach, helping leaders make tough decisions in the face of resistance. She has written and published many books on Leading through Crisis and manages her own blog, Shortcuts to Grace.