Not All Leaders Are Leaders

Okay, here’s my entry for the understatement of the year: There are a lot of people in leadership positions who are poor leaders.

In fact, most people in leadership positions (and I really mean “most”) are barely leaders at all. The prevalence of poor leaders can be attributed to a variety of factors. I believe the single biggest reason is that many, many people in leadership positions have no idea what leadership is actually about.

Leadership is about people. People and only people. Management is about things. It’s about stuff. You manage budgets. You manage inventories. You manage spreadsheets and buildings. But you lead people. When you are in a leadership position and you attempt to manage people, you cause the vast majority of what you think of as personnel issues.

Things like poor attitudes. Poor work ethic. Poor morale, and much, much more. All caused because people resist being managed. You’ve likely heard of many people complaining about being “over-managed. It’s unlikely you’ve ever heard of anyone complaining about being over-led.

The fact is, you can manage people without caring for them. Many people in leadership positions try to do just that. It often produces horrific outcomes but they keep trying nonetheless.

You cannot truly lead people without caring for them. Really caring. Caring so much that you regularly show it. Caring for the people you lead often produces spectacular outcomes. It is fulfilling and rewarding. It’s a huge win for the people being led, for the leader, and for their organizations.

Aside from not understandings the difference between leading and managing, there are additional reasons that so many people in leadership positions don’t actually lead. Some stem from individual traits, others from organizational culture, and broader societal influences. Here are several more reasons why poor leadership is so common.

1. Lack of Emotional Intelligence

Many people in leadership positions lack emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence involves self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication. Without these skills, leaders struggle to manage their own emotions, build meaningful relationships, and inspire their teams. They may focus on their own needs rather than those of their teams.

2. Promotion Based on Technical Skills

In many organizations, employees are promoted to leadership roles based on their technical expertise rather than their ability to lead. A great engineer, accountant, or salesperson may not have the necessary skills to lead people effectively. The Peter Principle highlights this tendency, where people rise to their “level of incompetence.”

3. Inadequate Training and Development

Many leaders do not receive adequate training or mentorship to develop strong leadership skills. Organizations often assume that leadership is an innate ability. In reality, it is a skill that requires continuous learning and practice. Research shows that upwards of 80% of people in leadership positions have less than 60 minutes of formal leadership training. Is it any wonder that they struggle so mightily?

4. Toxic Organizational Cultures

Some organizations have cultures that reward the wrong behaviors. They include aggression, self-interest, or risk avoidance. These environments can foster poor leadership, as individuals who thrive in such cultures often lack qualities like empathy, vision, or ethical decision-making.

5. Overconfidence and Narcissism

Some people in leadership positions are overly confident in their abilities or exhibit narcissistic tendencies. Such leaders may prioritize their own image and success over the welfare of their team. This leads to poor decision-making, a lack of collaboration, and employee dissatisfaction.

6. Short-Term Focus

Leaders may be pressured to deliver short-term results. This often leads them to make decisions that undermine long-term success. This can result in cutting corners, disregarding employee well-being, and overlooking the strategic direction of the organization.

7. Power and Ego

Leadership often comes with power, which can corrupt or inflate a person’s ego. Some people in leadership positions focus on their power and status. They fail to empower their teams or foster collaboration. This often leads to authoritarian styles of leadership, where input from others is dismissed.

8. Cultural and Societal Expectations

In some societies or organizations, leadership qualities like assertiveness or dominance are overly valued. This can promote people who are aggressive or self-serving into leadership roles while overlooking more collaborative, inclusive, and empathetic individuals.

9. Ineffective Feedback Mechanisms

Poor leaders often remain in their positions because there is no effective system for providing feedback or removing them. Organizations may fear confrontation, or leaders may have too much influence, preventing corrective measures from being taken.

10. Failure to Adapt

Poor leaders fail to adapt to changing circumstances, such as shifts in organizational goals, technology, or market conditions. Their inability to evolve or embrace new approaches can lead to stagnation, mismanagement, and discontent within their teams.

Poor leadership is often a result of systemic issues, such as the failure to prioritize leadership development, reward the right behaviors, or create cultures that value strong, empathetic, and visionary leadership.

Those systemic issues set up leaders for failure. They create a repeating cycle. The only way to short-circuit that cycle is to create a culture that focuses on the value of leadership. A culture that develops leaders and sets them up for success. Those leaders develop more leaders.

That sets the organization up for explosive growth.

Every organization needs great management. But, they need great leadership too. Understanding the difference between the two is the first step to having both.