A fancy title doesn’t make us a Leader!

Jane worked her entire life with “C” levels, “VP’s” and people carrying a wide range of fancy titles.?Her assessment before retirement has been that a fancy title doesn’t make anyone a true “#Leader”! On the contrary, it makes some people an entitled… “piece of work” (I let you apply the definition you most find suitable based on your experience).

I find captivating her story of a lifetime experience. During her career, she explained that she had the privilege to meet and work with only two “true” Leaders. One of them, could even be define as “a minion”, for sake of clarity, simply… a person not carrying a fancy title.

To put things into perspective, let me define what makes someone a Leader, in the eyes of Jane.

She speaks of a Leader as a person that is confident and comfortable in #delegating and #knowledgeable, to the point that he (I use ‘he” for convenience) knows what he doesn’t know, and accordingly acts on it. He relies on other people to accomplish his #vision and he simply… leads.

Such a person has the capability of #empowering, without #micromanaging, as he is not afraid of other people’s opinions, actions and #successes. He is there to guide and to consult when asked, not there to pave the entire road till the finish line...

Above all, in Jane’s eyes a true Leader will neither use his title to intimidate, nor to oppress someone else, to potentially massage a bruised ego. A true Leader guides you and warn you against pitfalls however will let you pursue your strategy and will cheer on your success even when not following his suggestion.

He will be there to pick you up, when you fall. He will guide you, make you grow and stand up tall by yourself again, not diminish you for the fact that you stumble. After all, a human being is not made to be perfect, that’s why we’re called… humans.

I too, have met my fair share of fancy titles and not just in in my working career. I share Jane’s view of a Leader and similar to Jane, I too was fortunate to meet a true Leader and what I call “a Leader in the making”.

Yep, I think that some are born with the natural gift to be a Leader, it’s an “out of the box” feature that they possess. However, some others have the capability of cultivating, learning and grow themselves into a true Leader.

I personally have witnessed the metamorphosis of a person that… I thought was not capable of such evolution. I witnessed an incredible journey that required the courage to park your ego, look inward, challenge yourself, step up and evolve, unleashing your true inner potential.

For the others?... It is almost heartbreaking to see that, for some, just because they carry a fancy title, they are convinced that they are leaders. Strong of their label, often enough, they abuse their title and position to “boss” others around. They tend to grow around themselves a herd of compliant sheep, (sheep for necessity or character, no judgment for it, no offence intended).

Those leaders, feel threatened and their instinct is getting rid of strong characters that make them afraid of been challenged.

In doing so, they do a disfavor to the Company they work for, as the power of #debate, #diversity of #opinions and views that try us, can unleash amazing results.

We often forget that there is not only one path to success, it can also be achieved in multiple ways and I learned that when ethic and due diligence is applied, it doesn’t matter that you got there, using your own brain power, knowledge, professionalism and experience or… the step by step manual handed out to you by?your manager. The Company goal is achieved! That is a #success to celebrate!