“Leadership is More than the Title” October 1st, 2013
-Dean Cantrill

Some are born into a position of leadership, some are hired, and some are elected but do these paths to the top guarantee leadership ability? I have spent most of my 25 years of work experience observing leadership style and effectiveness. I’d argue these paths to the top have nothing to do with leadership. They can enable an individual to be called a leader, they can guarantee power to execute command and control, and they can empower but not one of them can guarantee leadership.

 

The next meeting you attend at work, school, or community, watch who commands the respect and attention of the room. It may be the speaker, the highest ranking person, but more likely it’s the natural leader in attendance. Once you sort out the command and control or rank in the room, watch who leads the actions and emotions of the attendees. Chances are that you are seeing the actions of the natural leader in the room.

 

Are you still skeptical? How many times are the “next in line” promoted or elected into a leadership role only to stumble or fail once given enough time or rope to hang themselves? It’s classic. It can be worse. In the work place some weak managers go with the “next in line” philosophy as a default move. This is the “easy button” and doesn’t offend the legacy employee. When these default managers eventually fail, to avoid getting any of the stigma on their shoes, their up-lines transfer the failed leader on to a second assignment or role elsewhere in the organization. I’ve seen bad leaders promoted several levels within a company using this phenomenon to move themselves up the corporate ladder. Some are so blind to the reason they’re getting moved on, they get more empowered and emboldened to make more bad decisions and create more chaos in their wake.

 

The good news is that many leaders rise to the top early or when they are ready. A strong leader promotes the natural leaders behind themselves because strong leaders are secure in their own capabilities and want to be surrounded by the best possible team. Should a mistake be made in promoting, strong leaders are quick to correct the action. Some natural leaders enjoy the anonymous nature of leading below the radar. They know they don’t want the administrative burden that comes with promotion but are comfortable in leading at their current level. This type of leader can actually lead higher ranking members of the organization without creating conflict or malcontent. This is true, however, until an insecure leader feels threatened by the subordinate. To be threatened by an outstanding subordinate is quite foolish if you think about it. A natural leader is helping you at a higher level in the organization and yet doesn’t want your administrative burden and therefore isn’t asking for the commensurate level of compensation. Wow, give me a team like this.

 

Do your own assessment. Use this insight to strengthen your team or pick which dock to tie your rope to. If you need an unbiased assessment, hire a good operations excellence advisor who will be able to identify and separate the natural leaders from the “appointed” leaders. It’s not personal if you’re focused on delivering success with the best team possible.