Beware the Big Leadership Scam
No one talks about it.
Leadership is… (add the first thing that comes to the mind).
SCAM?!
Right. Why would you say that?
Some myths and ideas fuel business misconceptions (thank you, LinkedIn, for spreading them), overhyped and false promises, and misleading advice about leadership development.
Look at the window, now.
If you feel calmer, go ahead and read about the leadership myths (and scams).
Leaders are born. If you don’t have it, you don’t have it.
How motivating is this? It sounds like “if you’re a girl, then..”. Yet, some believe leadership is an inherent trait. Probably they find leadership equals charisma and confidence.
Let’s break down this wall once and forever. Leadership is a learned skill.
Because:
Leadership is built through experience.
You need to experience situations.
Your first promotion. Hiring. Firing. Change implementation. Performance review. Strategy meeting. You are shaped by challenges, mistakes, and learnings.
Skills can be learned and improved.
Even the best leaders give bad feedback and make wrong decisions. Again, the first time you experience conflict resolution is pretty difficult, the second time a bit better, and then it’s becoming your daily bread.
You need more.
Like everything in life, you need to live through the experience to become wiser (or more foolish or naive, it depends :-).
I’ve got your back. You have it.
Overpriced and over-certified training
You’ve got a leadership certificate? Congratulations. You’re a leader.
I would grind my teeth when I see multiple certifications from legit or less legit institutions in some of the CVs.
Leadership has become a commodity. The training and education are overpriced and for sure not always practical.
When you studied management, do you think you can manage people? You will have to start from the beginning because many things are not as they are presented on paper.
Abstract theories, buzzwords, and feel-good motivation rather than actionable strategies are common barriers in leadership training.
Solution?
Pick a training from a person who you trust (maybe a leader from your company does mentoring), who has direct experience with leading people (someone who has done it for longer than a year), and who you can relate to.
Speaking of which, if you’re enjoying reading leadink, work with me for 4 weeks on your leadership communication. 4 clear pillars are waiting for you:
And no, this training is not an overpriced scam.
The "Motivational Speaker" Effect
Listen more.
Give feedback.
Empower others.
Lead, don’t manage.
Give the quiet ones a voice.
1:1s with your direct reports are the most important meetings.
Be an empathetic leader.
Music to my ears. You would give them a thumbs up. Ah. So, great to work in such a world that follows them.
Hm.
I’ve heard a lot of podcasts and read a lot of leadership books and I can’t shake this impression off. Many gurus and influencers sell inspiration rather than actual skills.
They make you feel positive but without any concrete tools to lead better.
How do you work on your listening? How do you empower others? How?!
Before you nod next time, ask if you know how to. Without it, you might end up feeling confused and in the beginning again.
The leadership reality is full of power and politics
Let’s hug. Clap. Good teamwork, people!
Motivational posters on the walls such as teamwork, collaboration, and transparent communication make me cringe.
Leadership is often framed as purely about teamwork, motivation, and inspiration. “You should take care of your people, they will take care of your company.”
Now, I have to look outside of the window.
Real leadership involves navigating office politics, making tough decisions, and sometimes dealing with resistance and conflict.
Even the best ideas can fail if they don’t have the right buy-in from key stakeholders.
Leaders must work through informal networks, build alliances, and penetrate unspoken hierarchies within an organization to push initiatives forward.
You cannot focus only on your team. Office politics is what matters.
Otherwise, you will always struggle to gain support for your vision, be involved in boring projects, and people won’t respect you.
If leadership = communication, then leadership also = politics.
TL;DR
Enough being said.
Now, ask yourself—are you buying into the leadership hype, or are you ready to play the game for real?
Have a good one, Ivona
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