I Am Not A Leader. Are You?
By: Vuyo Ngcakani
Tags: Leadership, Management, Leadership Skills, Management And Leadership, Effective Communication

I Am Not A Leader. Are You?

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash

I believe that there are two types of leaders:

Those that take it and Those that have it thrust upon them

Both types can either fail or succeed. It doesn’t matter if you’re a born leader or not.

I was not. At least I never thought of myself as a leader and I always felt that others didn’t either. In primary or secondary school I was never picked as captain of any sports teams; I was never named a project leader, and even though I was a top student I was not voted as valedictorian.

It wasn’t until I started working that I started getting noticed as a candidate for promotions.

That scared me. I wasn’t seen as one before so my mind had settled on being a follower. And I was a good one.

Joe Robbins at Careerwise. ie lists the top five differences between a leader and a follower.

NO.1

Leaders are willing to step up and take control of a project or task. They enjoy a challenge and embrace change as they know it will benefit them in the long term.

Followers have to be forced to drive a project by their boss. They rarely, if ever, volunteer to take on a project. This is the case even if the positive aspects outway the negative. They are happy to go through life maintaining the “status quo”.

NO.2

Leaders show ingenuity, once they have a general grasp for a project they can strategically plan the best way to achieve the final objective.

Followers want direction, they need step by step instruction. They require constant assurance and approval, often as a means of covering themselves should something go wrong.

NO. 3

Leaders are pro-active and are not content with simply waiting for the next step. They despise inaction and are driven crazy by a lack of progress. They accept responsibility and are motivated by conquering obstacles in their way.

Followers are re-active, content with inactivity, as long as nobody is on their backs about it. Obstacles throw them off course and they look to leaders to re-build their confidence and set them back on the right track.

NO.4

Leaders drive projects and people to the finish line. They are like freight trains, unstoppable forces that will plough through any obstacle that gets in their way. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they plough through people that get in their way. A good leader will push teamwork rather than individual achievements. They compliment members of the group under their care in order to motivate team members and get them to buy into their plan.

Followers are dragged across the finish line, some kicking and screaming. Some, however, may have found an inner strength that may include them participating in the leadership role next time around. Or they may have at least learned enough to keep them from being part of the carnage left behind in the future.

NO.5

Leaders are not paralyzed by fear, they thrive on it. They tackle it head-on and show it who’s boss.

Followers stop when things get even a little rough. They again look for re-assurance and can let fear affect their decision-making process. Often the fear is without any real justification, but maybe for some an excuse to walk away from a challenge.

The description of a follower fits me to a tee.

So why was I often sought out for promotion? Who would want someone who needs direction or is content with inactivity as a leader?

2 reasons.

I was a good manager and

I was good with people.

You manage things but you lead people.

I worked in a retail environment and I was good at following procedures and completing tasks. If it needed to be done well and on time, I was your man. And I did it with a smile. Remember as a follower, I needed to be told what to do and how to do it, and I was fine. So, because I had this know-how, I became the go-to guy to teach others as they came on board.

Being good with people translated to having good sales and being liked by my fellow employees. I was the manager who wasn’t the manager. My peers felt safe coming to me because I wouldn’t judge them for not knowing something they should have known.

Leadership was thrust upon me.

Here’s the thing though. I wasn’t held accountable for any missteps. I didn’t feel any pressure because the buck didn’t stop with me. If team targets weren’t achieved, I wasn’t questioned.

It was easy to “lead” under those conditions.

Once I was given the title, my insecurities surfaced.

I have admired good leaders and diligently followed and respected those that warranted it. But I didn’t want to be one for the reasons listed above.

I should have declined the offers but I didn’t. That’s another one of my faults to go with my insecurities. I’m a people-pleaser. That’s not a good trait for an effective leader.

I had to learn to become one. And I did. Thankfully, I belonged to a company that believed in investing in their leaders.

They had us read books by John Maxwell, Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie, etc.

We learned how to get buy-in to our vision

We took courses on personality types and learned how our own styles affect others and how other types want to be ‘handled’.

We learned how to coach effectively

We learned how to confront issues

And then we were given more books to read for personal development.

I’m a leader now. It’s still not a natural trait but I’ve been known to volunteer to lead a team because it’s something I’ve done before. I still hesitate to lead something new. But I have the skills and the knowledge so I now have confidence.

You can lead too. It’s up to you. You have to want it though and when you do there are all types of resources to help you. Here’s a book list to get you started.

There is no excuse for being an ineffective leader.

-