7 Surprising Facts about Leadership

If you work for an organization of any kind, you probably know people who are in leadership positions.  And chances are, you don’t agree with all of the choices they make on the behalf of the organization. 

But first, let me define who I am not talking about.  I am not talking about that 1% of people in leadership positions that do it as a power rush.   I am not talking about a takeover-and-dominate-with-a-Hitler-complex attitude that we sometimes find in leadership positions.  Yes, they are out there and yes, they are quite scary.  So please get past these. This is NOT about them. It IS about the people who chose to step up and make the hard choices to what is, in their view, the betterment of an organization or a group. Here is a collection of observations I have made about this leadership.  Some of which, you may find surprising, and some of which you are very aware.  But we all need a reminder.

1. All leaders answer to somebody.  And the higher the position, the more people they must answer to. They are held responsible to not only those who work for them, but for those they serve. When we are looking to a leader, we see them from a selfish point of view; a what-do-they-do-for-me view. We need to widen our point of view to truly assess the effectiveness of a leader.
2. Leaders have access to information that no one else in the organization can ever know.  They know very personal information about interactions of employees.  But most importantly, they do not utter a word of this to anyone because it is privileged information. They know laws that must be followed in which most employees are unaware. Good leaders know who works hard and who does the least they can. They also know the things said to other employees.  They know who is a blowhard, who is a liar for their own gain and who is just difficult. Good leaders take all of this into consideration when making decisions for the betterment of the organization.  
3. Leaders are the ones expected to fix everything with no regard for the resources they lack. Leaders must make the uncomfortable call. They must confront uncomfortable issues when no one else is willing to do so. If a leader shirks this responsibility, he or she is loved, but the company suffers.  A true leader will make the hard call, disregarding his or her acceptance factor.  
4. Leaders are the fall guy for an organization. They are there to protect those under them from losing their paycheck due to company failure.  They must provide those they serve, who do their job well, job security. And they do this by keeping the organization financially sound and at the top of their game. If your company is functioning at the top of their game, thank your leadership. And if you contribute significantly to this endeavor, be thankful that you have job security. 
5. Leadership can be dealt out to an appointed committee or board but in the end, it takes a leader in that group to keep them moving and out of gridlock. Either someone in the leadership group will step up and lead, or they will be forever bogged down in the decision making process, accomplishing zero. The burden of leadership always falls on someone. 
6. Because they confront uncomfortable issues when no one else is willing to do so, leaders are often villainized, cussed and discussed for any and all battles that are being fought.  A leader’s choices are analyzed, criticized and publicized.  Leaders are isolated. No one is willing to hang out with them for fear of brown-nosing. Leadership inherently comes with loneliness. Thus the saying, “It is lonely at the top”. 
7. Leadership is a calling, not a privilege granted to those who deserve it. Leaders are born. However, I think with maturity this ability grows. Can leadership be learned?  Well, I’m not sure. It can be improved and skills can surely be sharpened with experience. People do have varying degrees of leadership. Some will step up and lead in one situation, with one group, but not with another. To me, leadership boils down to a courageous, can-do mindset. There are variables to leadership styles, but each leader must be driven to lead, deep in his or her psyche. And from someone who is NOT a born leader, I believe we should thank a leader for their willingness to take on this position, offering our grace and support for their courage.