Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Position
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Permission & Production
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: People Development and Personhood
Leadership: Climbing the steps
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 10 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Leadership: Debunking 5 myths
— From Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
What is leadership? With lots of definitions and books on leadership, you’d think the answer to this might be an easy one, but it’s not. The essence of leadership and its different manifestations can sometimes be confusing. Why? Because nowadays the label “leader” is tossed around often and sometimes misused to describe position, knowledge or some other attribute as opposed to true leadership.
To that effect, in Leadership 101, John C. Maxwell sets a simple definition that is right on point:
“True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed or assigned. It comes only from influence. [Thus] the true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.”
So, how do we find and measure influence?
In this miniseries, we will first start by debunking the five most common myths or misconceptions that account for the majority of the confusing definitions leadership and, in subsequent posts, we will see how influence can be developed.
1. The Management Myth: “A widespread misunderstanding is that leading and managing are one and the same.” As Rear Admiral Grace Hopper so aptly put it, “you manage things, you lead people.” Maxwell says, “The best way to test whether a person can lead rather than just manage is to ask [him/her] to create positive change. Managers can maintain direction, but they can’t change it. To move people in a new direction, you need influence.”
2. The Entrepreneur Myth: “People assume that all salespeople and entrepreneurs are leaders. But that’s not always the case.” Maxwell cites the example of Ron Popeil, an inventor of gadgets and celebrity in his own right who became a household name by appearing in numerous infomercials. “Popeil is certainly enterprising, innovative and successful… but that doesn’t make him a leader. People may be buying what he has to sell, but they’re not following him. At best, he is able to persuade people for a moment, but he holds no long-term influence with them.”
3. The Knowledge Myth: “Knowledge is power,” is the famous phrase by Sir Francis Bacon, and Maxwell says that, “most people, believing that power is the essence of leadership, naturally assume that those who possess knowledge and intelligence are leaders.” Yet the author points out that this is not automatically true because there are numerous research scientists and philosophers whose knowledge is, “so high that it’s off the charts, but whose ability to lead is so low that it doesn’t even register on the charts. IQ doesn’t necessarily equate to leadership.”
4. The Pioneer Myth: “Another misconception is that anyone who is out in front of the crowd is a leader. But being first isn’t always the same as leading.” Maxwell points out the case of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest. While being the pioneer comes with much merit, that doesn’t make him a leader. Many climbers have done the same afterward, but they aren’t following him. “To be a leader, a person has to not only be out front, but also have people intentionally coming behind him, following his lead, and acting on his vision.”
5. The Position Myth: “The greatest misunderstanding about leadership is that people think it is based on position, but it’s not,” says Maxwell. In the military, officers can pull rank and in business, bosses get away with people being cooperative because their livelihood is at stake. People respond to their superiors and that is mistaken as leadership. Maxwell quotes Stanley Huffty: “It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.” Think about some of the known examples of leaders of a team or company who resign or are forced out and the colleagues follow: the leaders may lose the position, but not the influence because, as Harry A. Overstreet said, “The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate.”
And the corollary to this last quote is one that Maxwell is famous for saying:
“He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.”
While leaders may have some or all of these attributes within them, they must still have influence for people to follow them and act upon their vision.
Come back tomorrow for the next installment of this miniseries to learn how influence can be developed.
ACTION
TODAY: Think about the leaders that surround you. Think about their influence. Who do you follow because you truly believe in them? Who do you follow because they have rank or authority over you?
FUTURE: Come back to learn how to develop influence. To become a leader, it’s important to develop influence in a way that empowers, elevates and enlightens others, always coming from a point of empathy and much generosity. It takes time, but it’s worth it—think about all the true leaders you admire and their journey to the top!
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