Leadership is not about having control
Leadership is not about creating fear
Leadership is not about having power
Leadership is not about the number of followers you have (one is enough)
Leadership is not a short term proposition
Leadership is not…
Real leadership is not many of the things we see our ‘supposed’ leaders do and use.
Startup blog says Real Leadership is this:
Inspiring those who choose to be around you, to find a path which makes sense to them, and in doing so leads to achieving the objectives of a collective.
How are you leading your startup?
Stephen, I like your approach at pointing out what leadership is not. I tend to focus on what it is (which I think is valuable), but it’s also good to step back and contrast that with what leadership is not.
As I read your post I had this thought: leadership is not knowing everything and telling others what to do. Leadership is learning from others; encouraging and empowering them to improve. The more we work to help others become great leaders, the better leaders we become. On its face it seems like a dichotomy, but the more we work to train and prepare others to take our place, the more irreplaceable we become.
Taking the time to contrast leadership with what it’s not is a valuable exercise. Thank you for your great post! -Michael
I remember an adage from my early days as a Brand Manager, “leadership is not about making the best decisions it is in seeing that the best decisions are made.”
My last corporate position was working for a man who lead through intimidation, manipulation, information hoarding and demeaning of staff in public forums. Probably the most insure individual I have every worked for in my life. Needless to say staff morale, creative risk taking and business results were far from stellar. Inspiration was not a part of his lexicon.
Every “not” above was in his play book. Woe unto those who follow on.