Send to KindleReal Leadership and Real Leaders
In a recent on-line discussion, a fellow leadership trainer and consultant made a stunning comment. He opined that positions like CEO and COO are the only real leadership positions in an organization. Of course, that’s as wrong as it can be, but unfortunately it isn’t a unique opinion and comes from a misunderstanding of leadership and how it applies at different levels.
There are plenty of definitions of leadership; take your pick, but they all boil down to the basic function of causing other people to do what the leader wishes them to do. Where you are on your organization’s food chain will refine that definition. Let’s look at several different levels.
Those with titles such as supervisor, team chief, or foreman have a very hands-on level of leadership. They don’t make corporate policy or plan strategy at the executive level, but that doesn’t mean they don’t lead. They do. In fact, these are the leaders who have the most day-to-day, face-to-face contact with the workers who actually accomplish the organization’s mission. If you have issues like worker engagement, labor problems, or low productivity it’s likely you haven’t developed good leaders at this level.
People with titles that contain the word manager are probably at the middle leadership level. They have the often unenviable task of translating executive leadership demands to lower level leaders and transmitting lower level problems upward. This level also has the critical task of training, mentoring, and developing the leaders below them. That means, if you promote lower level leaders to these positions and didn’t train them in the fundamentals of leadership, you now have middle level leaders who don’t get it either; compounding the problems I mentioned.
Executive leaders practice a very different type of leadership. They set the pace, set company-wide goals, establish values and culture, and make the big decisions. These are higher level and critical leadership responsibilities but notice they don’t require much personal interaction with the people doing the work. In fact, and some experts get upset when I say this, the most senior executive levels have as much management as leadership responsibility.
Are executives the only real leaders in your organization? If you think so, then you most likely have a problem.
Do you agree or disagree? I’d like to know what you think. Please leave a comment.
