Promotion Doesn’t Make You a Leader by Bob Reish, Caveat Institute

Have you ever seen someone get a title and suddenly think they’ve been crowned as royalty?

One day, they’re just Dave from Accounting. The next day, they’re Sir David, Keeper of the Budget, Wielder of the Email Chains, and Supreme Ruler of the Breakroom.

The problem? Promotion doesn’t make you a leader.

If you have to start leading after you get the title… you weren’t a leader to begin with.

The First Deacons in Acts 6: Leadership Recognized, Not Assigned

Let’s go back to Acts 6.

The early church was growing, and the apostles were overwhelmed, probably dealing with more complaints than a bad airline customer service line.

So, they needed help. But what did they do?

They didn’t say, “Find some guys who need a leadership confidence boost!” They didn’t say, “Let’s promote the person who’s been here the longest.”

Nope. They said, “Find men of good reputation, full of wisdom, who are already leading.”

They didn’t train them into leadership. They recognized people who were already leading.

And that, my friends, is the Caveat.

When Promotion Goes Wrong: The Vice Principal’s First Day

Now, I’ve seen bad leadership… but let me tell you about a guy who took it to the next level.

There was a school that promoted one of its teachers to vice principal. Now, you’d think that after years in education, working with kids, teachers, and parents, he’d understand leadership.

Oh no.

It was his first day as vice principal, and let’s just say—he wasted no time making his presence known.

A concerned parent… I won’t name names… calls the school to discuss an issue with their child. (Yes, that parent was me.)

I wasn’t upset. I wasn’t demanding. I just wanted to have a reasonable conversation.

So, I call up the school. He picks up. And in the most condescending tone I’ve ever heard, he says:

"We don’t care what parents think. We do what we want. Parents do what we say."

Oh really?

I sat there for a second, staring at my phone, wondering if he had mistaken himself for a ruler of an empire.

“Mr. Reish, this is just how we run things.”

Oh buddy. Let me tell you how I run things.

See, here’s the problem: He had a title, but he had no leadership.

Instead of building trust, he destroyed it. Instead of creating influence, he demanded obedience.

And guess what? It wasn’t long before that vice principal wasn’t a vice principal anymore. Because when you lead like a dictator instead of a servant, people don’t follow you—they wait for you to be replaced.

The Leadership Trap: Why Most Leaders Fail

Too many people think leadership is about control. They think their job is to tell people what to do.

But here’s the thing… people don’t follow because they have to. They follow because they trust you.

If your title disappeared tomorrow, would anyone still follow you?

If the answer is no—you’re not leading. You’re just filling a position.

What Real Leadership Looks Like

A while back, I worked with a guy… we’ll call him John. John was everywhere. Before he ever had a title, he was solving problems, mentoring younger employees, and making sure his team had what they needed to succeed.

So when the time came for a promotion, guess who got it? The guy who was already leading.

No surprise there! It wasn’t because he lobbied for it. It wasn’t because he looked good in a suit. It was because he made leadership a habit long before it was a title.

How to Lead Before the Title

If you want to be a great leader, don’t wait for a title. Start leading NOW.

Set the standard before someone asks you to. Be the example that others want to follow. Show integrity, consistency, and humility… before the promotion comes.

Because when real leaders step up, titles don’t matter… trust does.

The Challenge: Earn the Trust, Not Just the Title

So here’s my challenge to you:

Don’t just take the title… earn the trust. Lead in a way that, when the time comes, leadership is just recognizing what you were already doing.

That’s what real leadership looks like.