Leadership: The Other Side of the Coin
Leadership is typically blogged about describing the characteristics of effective leaders. We all have read the blogs, the literature (articles and books) and in various forms.
A leader is _______________ (fill-in-the-blank a characteristic of your choosing, -- inspiring, motivating, communicative, influencing, listening, engaging, and so forth).
Let’s explore the flipside of the coin a moment – what leadership is not.
Leadership is not a job title, a position of power, or a box at the top of some organization chart. It is not a place to assert control over others. Leadership is not about being the smartest or most accomplished person in the room. Leadership is not about micro-managing or driving for task completion. Leadership is not about taking all the credit for other's successes or blaming others for their failures. Leadership is not bequeathed, anointed, or appointed. Leadership is not automatic based on the top position in the organization chart.
In today’s business vernacular we tend to call the person at the top of the chart the ‘leader.’ We use the term ‘leader’ to describe the head/top person. My experience is different. I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of people titled CEO, President, Chair, Owner, Managing Partner, and similar titles; few have been leaders. Some have been exhibiting the behavior in the paragraph above, their efforts have, as a result, been categorically opposite of effective leadership behavior. Some I’ve known professionally have been like supervisors, directing the work of others on a short-term, daily basis. Most have been like managers, working with a near-term mindset and sometimes motivated by the next quarterly financial report or even annual results. Seemingly few have been true leaders. Yet, because of their position on the organizational chart, we, inaccurately, call them leaders. Perhaps the organizational chart is wrong. Perhaps our vernacular is wrong. I suspect it is a combination of these two.
Anyone can be a leader, regardless of position, education, or rank. It is not about the individual but rather the impact they create. Leadership is a set of skills that can be developed over time and honed through experience. It is not a fixed trait or a personality trait.
My challenge for you, the reader, is to create an organization where you create an organization where all are leaders, each in turn are creating other leaders. No followers, you do not need to have followers to be a true leader.
Think about it.
