The Leadership Void

BE HONEST: Leaders are easy targets, no matter which circle you run in.

I've been thinking a lot about leadership lately. Kindly, of course. I challenge you to ask yourself - why are there so many weak leaders out there?

Wait a minute, you already asked yourself that one. Many times.

Ok gossipy gossipers - here's a follow-up (better) question: How do you prevent yourself from being one of them?

You are, or will be, a leadership figure somewhere in your life. Maybe you're a boss. Coach. Volunteer leader. Parent. Teacher. Business owner. Or just a plain ol' type-A Jane or John Doe that likes to tell other people how to be, no matter the situation.

So you might as well start playing the part well.

Look at that, I just promoted you.

Congratulations on the *great opportunity*!

I've served years in all of these categories, save for the last one. I never understood type-A people, and how arrogant some are. That's just me though. I've been assigned as a leader for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was told I was the "head and shoulders" of the class, the "voice of reason", and a "natural leader".

Internal reaction: Um…ok? But there are so many things I suck at!

This designation followed me into adulthood. School The Army. Energy industry jobs. And the litany of community groups I work with.

I'm not special. In fact, I'll convince you that I'm a below-average guy who simply decided to overachieve. Because that's who I see in the mirror every day.

Back to the question(s) above.

ANSWER: We have inept leaders because they are not leaders at all. They get there because they were the best at doing a thing, then attempted to parlay that success to a shot at supervisor. Think about that for a minute. Should the best burger flipper on the line make it to line supervisor or store manager because they know they task to perfection?

Maybe. But not always. Too often, that is the benchmark for front-line leadership, rather than the litany of other chores they will need to juggle. But, that's how you got to where you are, isn't it? So you repeat the process. Now you just killed a fat margin of productivity along with the leadership pipeline.

Alternatively they lucked into it by being someone's favorite, or perhaps someone's favorite nephew. Multiple times…all the way up.

Happens.

A lot.?

Don't even get me going on workplace politics.

Often someone is promoted into the rank of "leader" without any ability to get others to do what needs to be done, other than the rank itself. Is that your definition of leadership? Think on it. When has tugging on your collar (or title) ever earned you respect you desire?

The rank means nothing other than the POTENTIAL for fulfilling the mission needs of that organization, at that level. So often after the rank is earned, the leader capitulates to their own ego, thinking "Here I am! I made it! Look at me now!" Then entitlement takes over, and their potential is never realized.

This isn't modern philosophy. It's human nature.

Biology even.

I'm not knocking those wanting to take a crack at bettering themselves, and growing their career. But even those that do well to get promoted fail to see that it is the ones toiling every day to provide for their own are those that got the mission accomplished, not the leader.

If this sounds harsh or contrarian, well, buckle up. I've been there.

This is straight talk kindness, tough love. Not the fancy-fakey-make-nice kindness (which isn't kind at all).

Therein lies the essence of servant leadership: Be the servant, not the one whipping the servant.

Look around at your organizational chart, whichever one you want. I don't care if you're in the public, private, military, or non-profit sectors of reality. Look at the leadership roles. Then consider, how many of these folks you would ACTUALLY follow. As in:

• Follow in order to do your job.
• Follow in order to run your kid's team or field trip.
• Follow out the door in the event of an emergency…or worse, to the bar.

You'll come away with a lopsided ratio. Not because you don't know them all, but because you can only name a couple that make the invisible cut line. When I make my list of those who I'd follow day to day or into the headwall, there are only a few. Then there are a wider "middle class", and then the rest.?

Here's the difference between a good leader and not-so-good: Good leaders constantly question if they are the right person for the job. Or rather, "Why" are they the right person?

They don't shy away from the person in the mirror. They face the uncertainty within themselves, and decide how to move forward anyway. Not to mention, this is an excellent tip for quenching imposter syndrome. This is what it takes to make a hard decision too. Or stand up to corruption and take the hard right.

Few have been forged in the fires of training or real-world catastrophe to make it that far. Even fewer in the day to day operations acknowledge their own shortcomings. Still, even less understand that it isn't even about them at all.

Now that's a 1%er club I'd love to be a part of.

When you break the problem it down that way, the problem statement gets much simpler.

And so does the solution: Your job is not to do or micromanage the 'things'; Take care of the people who take care of the tasks that are mission essential.

Your team are better at the tasks than you, anyway. Yes, Mr. Alphadog, you read that right.

Instead:

• It's in knowing what they are doing, and moving obstacles.
• It's in giving clear instructions and setting high expectations.
• It's in creating feedback loops and engaging in them - for better or for worse.
• It's in how you communicate and empower your teams to lead themselves.

On that last point. It's been said that leaders do not create followers. They create more leaders.

How many leaders have emerged under your care?

BE HONEST

If you can't name any, start with one: YOU. Look in the mirror, and decide why you are going to lead. No one is going to do it for you. If you idle by for someone else to lead, then relinquish your right to complain about the way things are.

That's the way I look at it.

If you are already leading, or think you are:

• Humble yourself.
• Polish your craft.
• Leaders are readers; become voracious.
• Do NOT micromanage; Delegate, Delegate, Delegate.
• ...and DELEGATE some more.
• But hold the line on frivolous, non-essential busy work

Most of all. Remember it is not about serving that shadow figure called your ego. Nor your positional authority. Or what you think you know and are out to prove.

< It's about those in your care >

^ Read that one more time ^

Without them, you're back to square one anyway, so look yourself in the eye again.

And again.

And again.

Are you up to it??

For the third time: BE HONEST.

Be Kind.