When you think about leadership, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Someone with a fancy title? Someone barking orders? Or someone who inspires others to do their best work?
Probably no other profession is less clearly defined. When someone says I’m a pediatrician or a cardiologist or an oncologist you might not know exactly how they do it, and you have a pretty good idea about what they do. Likewise, when someone says they’re a tax attorney or a teacher or a plumber, you know what they do.
A leader? Not so much. Ask 10 people what leadership means, and you’ll get 10 different answers.
I know this firsthand. I’ve interviewed more than 60 leaders for my Let’s TAWK Leadership Podcast series, and each of them had a different leadership definition.
Here are just a few:
- Leadership is WHO you are, not just what you do
- Leadership is taking risks for something you believe in
- Impact through dependability
- Creating the big picture and bringing people along for the journey
- Doing what you say you’re going to do
- Leading with purpose, clarity, and heart
Of course, there are common threads – trust, integrity, and accountability. And leadership is deeply personal. No two leaders are exactly alike. And that is the point.
For me, leadership is clarity of purpose and vision. It’s inspiring people to move in a shared direction—and providing them with the tools, space, and support to get there. It’s seeing the “more than” in someone and showing them they’re capable of it. Leadership is recognizing that every person is unique and creating space for them to succeed in their own way.
So why should we care about “leadership”?
- People leave leaders, not companies. In fact, bad leaders are the number one reason people quit.
- Employee retention is 20 times greater when organizations focus on leadership development.
- 40% of new leaders fail in their first 18 months because of poor fit, poor delivery, or a poor ability to adjust to a change down the road. (Forbes Magazine)
- 77% of organizations report a leadership gap.
- Gallup estimates $630 billion/year is lost in the U.S. on turnover caused by leadership failures. All too often people are promoted to leadership based on their individual performance or company seniority.
Here’s the thing, becoming a leader requires a different set of skills and behaviors. New leaders need the opportunity to develop those skills and behaviors so they can become the unique leaders that only they can be and be prepared to take on a leadership role.
And yet, most new leaders are promoted based on performance—not readiness. We assume they’ll “figure it out.” Spoiler alert: they don’t.
Leadership isn’t a promotion. It’s a profession. It takes self-awareness, intention, and a very different skill set than being an individual contributor. It’s not one-size-fits-all – it is a set of competencies that must be developed.
Invest in learning how to lead before the title shows up on your email signature. And if you’re ready to take the leap, the Keep it Real™ Leadership program is designed to help emerging leaders build the mindset, skills, and confidence to lead in their unique way.
Till the next time, keep it real.
Karen
