This Thing Called Leadership: The Courage to Be An All-Inclusive Leader

It’s hard to believe that we live in a world where kindness is seen as weakness, where men and women in power will remain silent about their beliefs to retain that power, or worse, to continue receiving patronage from wealthy men and corporations just behind the curtain.

It’s hard to believe that we’ve just watched a video of cowardly police officers listening to children’s dying screams while they hid in a corridor. Or that the mayor of the town where this stain on humanity occurred was more concerned about it being made public than on the lack of courage of those men.

To serve and protect? Not on that day.

It feels like we are watching the fabric of society unravelling before our very eyes. Innocent people killed in churches and schools. Politicians are covered in scandal, continuing their day-to-day lives without a care in the world.

We have a problem. To be fair, we have lots of problems. But a lack of courageous leadership is behind most, if not all of them. Here’s why it takes guts to be in charge and why it’s critical that we put the right people in the lead.

It’s Hard to Do the Right Thing

When you get right down to it, doing the right thing, whether it’s in terms of leadership, culture, addressing systemic racism or anything else, is hard.

There will always be people who don’t understand why you need to do what needs to be done. People that protest against decisions that have been made to protect them. People who despise leaders who do, simply because they haven’t taken the time to learn the reasoning behind it.

We saw it very clearly during the pandemic when leaders who advised common sense measures like wearing masks and avoiding crowded spaces were vilified by mobs of conspiracy theorists and whipped up into a frenzy.

We saw people like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was simply doing the same thing he’s done his entire career, demonized for putting science first.

We also saw the rise of populist leaders, who used that rage, anger, and ignorance, fueling it by agreeing with the rhetoric and promising to abolish those common-sense measures. They don’t care that they might get people killed if it would get them one more x on a ballot.

It’s hard to do the right thing, but it’s oh so easy to tell people what they want to hear, even if the consequences could be dire.

But Hard Things Need to Be Done

There can’t be many people in power who can’t see the more obvious societal problems we face in the US and the rest of the world.

They all know that gun control would cut mass shootings in the US down to numbers that are somewhat comparable to anywhere outside of a war zone. But until enough people in leadership have the guts to do what is necessary to make that change, old women in churches and children in schools will keep paying the price.

We all know that when innocent, unarmed black men are shot dead by police at a traffic stop and armed and dangerous white men are captured alive, time and again, there’s a systemic racism problem.

We all know that generational wealth and privilege gives certain people a hand up in life before they’ve even started trying. But it’s easier to leave that as it is because no one wants to rock the boat.

We can’t keep plastering over the cracks in the wall, pretending they don’t exist. At some point, we have to chip it all off, look at all the problems in the clear light of day, and resolve to do what is necessary to fix them.

We All Have Power

The funny thing about leadership is that some people think you have to be rich and famous to be a good leader. However, while it’s true that many great leaders have both, they’re not actually required.

We all have the power to make a change. We can all work towards building a world where inclusion is part of the culture of our society. We don’t have to accept the status quo or wait for someone else to change it.

The world changes when people change. It changes when people demand change, and it’s time for people who have been hiding behind apathy and disillusionment to stand up and be counted.

Whether it’s taking the time to really learn about the true history of America, including all the horrors and ills that slavery and systemic racism have done to people of color, or having the courage to take a stand on other important issues, we can all make a difference.

The best leaders aren’t always the people who were born and bred for it. The best leaders sometimes aren’t even taught to be leaders. They simply realize that a movement needs focus, and they step up to become it. That movement doesn’t have to be big or make history. It simply needs to be something you believe in and that you’re willing to be seen standing up for.

You Don’t Need a Title to Lead

Many people think you need a title to be a leader, that you need to be the president, a business manager or someone else in a position of power.

The truth is true leadership does not require a title. It comes from inside, so you don’t need a label to tell people you are a leader.

Likewise, you can call someone a leader, but if they don’t have the skill, empathy, and determination it takes to be a true leader, that label doesn’t mean much.

Don’t wait until someone gives you permission to lead. If you can see that the situation needs someone to step up, do it. There are too many followers in the world and not enough true leaders. That might be why we’re giving the wrong people too much power over all our lives.

We’ve gotten so used to believing that leaders need to have those titles that we default to respecting people who have them, even when they don’t deserve our respect.

What Does It Take to Be a True Leader?

So, we know that titles, money, and fame don’t make anyone a leader in anything but name – but what does? What is the secret to leadership? How can ordinary people make the changes we need to see in the world?

There’s some controversy about who said, “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” But whether it was Alexander Hamilton or someone else, it’s as true today as it was when it was first said. It’s also the core of leadership.

You cannot become a great leader if you choose to go with the flow, even when you know it’s wrong. You can’t master the art of leadership if you are willing to accept a status quo and culture that is not based on inclusion and humanity. You cannot be a great leader if you see systemic racism in the world and choose to look the other way.

True leaders don’t look the other way when they see injustice. They speak up, and they stand their ground.

The manager who ignores a toxic culture in their office simply to maintain the status quo and avoid rocking the boat is not a leader, even if they might make the rules. They’re just someone who facilitates and enables unacceptable behaviour.

The politicians who allow children to die in schools because they don’t want to stand up against their corporate sponsors are not leaders. They’re simply grifters in suits, saying what they believe is necessary to keep money flowing into corporate bank accounts.

Maybe that’s what they meant by trickle-down economics all along? People who are willing to do things that are completely unconscionable simply to keep the money trickling in.

True leaders don’t do that.

They see changes that need to be made, and they do the hard things that are necessary to make them happen. Sometimes, they even risk their career or their reputation to do what is necessary.

Leadership Is Service

One of the biggest misconceptions about leadership is that it’s about personal power.

People who pursue leadership for the wrong reasons usually believe that having the final say and making the rules makes them a great leader.

The truth is leadership is about service.

While you might have the power to make decisions and set rules, build culture, and even influence humanity, that’s not what the focus of good leaders is.

Good leaders understand that they have a responsibility to the people they lead. Their job is to serve those people and make their lives better.

Whether that means ensuring that your employees have the right tools, training, and safety equipment to get their jobs done or creating policies that address and start to rectify systemic racism, your job as a leader is to spearhead it and get it done.

While we may have been seduced by populist politics and eccentric billionaires spouting populist rhetoric and sarcastic quips, that’s not what leadership is about. You don’t have to be loud or aggressive to be a good leader.

Humanity Desperately Needs Better Leaders

The truth is, all you have to do is watch the news to see that if humanity is going to continue to exist and thrive, we desperately need good leaders. We need people who will stop being self-centered and who will look at the big picture and commit to driving change.

We need people who will acknowledge that climate change is happening, stop arguing about why it’s happening, and do what is necessary to slow it.

We need people who have the courage to admit that systemic racism and sexism still exist and take real steps to make the changes that are needed to end those things.

We need people who have the courage not to be populists, who simply tell people what they want to hear to manipulate them so that they can cling to power, and we need people who put service above personal wealth and power.

Change is happening slowly, but we desperately need it to happen faster. We need individuals who see the problems in the world to step away from apathy and despondency and to stand up for what they know is right.

You don’t have to lead a nation to make change. You don’t have to be the best speaker in the world or have a closet full of expensive suits. You simply need to care enough to, as Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world.

Why wait for a title or some other external permission to become a leader? Lead by example. Change the small things you can influence in your world. Stop avoiding difficult topics and start listening to what people say about their lived experiences.

We change the world. We’ve done it many times in the past, but it takes courage and a willingness to do things that might not be popular for the greater good. We need leaders who will be bold in their actions. We need leaders to act their way to thinking versus thinking their way to acting. Acting their way to thinking has created the environment today.

The new and courageous leader will act, think, and assess the new reality. That new reality to dictate a new action, a new thought process, and another new reality.

When you look in the mirror, does the person looking back at you have what it takes to act, think, assess, and lead courageously?

Dr. Terry Jackson is Executive Advisor, Thought Leader Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coach, Top 10 Global Mentor, and Change Leadership Architect. Dr. Jackson partners with Executives and Organizations to align Strategy, People and Processes to optimize and sustain Peak Business Performance.