Does Most Leadership Suck? – A Challange

  I have been challenged by John of The Leadership Epidemic to write an article on “Does Most Leadership Suck?”. I have accepted this challenge because I believe leadership is a very important subject.

Let me start by saying there are great leaders in this world who do an effective job of stewarding people everyday. Many of these effective leaders go unnoticed because they are being effective leaders. Because they are being effective leaders they don’t get much attention in the news or public eye, however they are out there daily do a very effective job of providing solid and effective leadership.

Conversely we often hear news about leaders who appear to be ineffective leaders. The newspapers are full of business leaders and political leaders who are labeled as ineffective leaders. In the work place people are quick to point out leaders who are ineffective or downright incompetent.

So why are there people in positions of leadership who seem to be ineffective leaders? I believe one of the biggest reasons is because people get promoted or hired into leadership positions for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability to be an effective leader, reasons like their level of formal education, political connections or because of their aesthetic qualities.  People who ascend into leadership positions often have had no or very little training on how to be a leader, therefore they tend to lead as they have been led in the past which perpetuates ineffective leadership techniques.

One of the other big issues which impacts people in leadership positions is the people whom they lead are not effective followers. When we are in the role of follower, it very easy to sit back and take a passive role as we watch someone in a leadership role struggle and make ineffective decisions. It is very easy for us to not take responsibility and to hypothesize how we would do such a better job if only we were the leader.

As followers it is important to lead from within the file and ranks of a group, to manage upward and to help those who have been appointed our leaders for whatever reason to succeed. It is the follower’s responsibility to be accountable and to demonstrate behavior, which not only supports the leader but also enhances the leaders ability to lead.

In life we wear many hats, often times we are the leader and often times we are the follower. It is critical that we reflect on both and what skill sets we must develop to both an effective leader and an effective follower.

The next time you find yourself pointing the finger of blame to ineffective leadership, remember to look in the mirror and ask yourself what impact you as a follower had on the persons ability to lead. Did you contribute positively as a follower or like so many did you take a passive or even destructive role as a follower.

I think it is important to note that all of us at times are called to be leaders. Think about the leadership roles you have in your life, parent, teacher, friend, supervisor, manager, etc. What are you actively doing to become a better leader and a better follower?

This brings to mind the quote by Tomas Paine, “Lead, follow or get out of the way”. There is much wisdom in these few words.