For those who have never held an executive, senior leadership or management position, it can be easy to believe that leadership is simply about giving orders and writing reports. However, effective leaders go further, showing compassion and empathy while instilling motivation within their employees.
When a leader demonstrates how the company’s core values align with their own by living them daily, employees are more likely to want to work with that person to help the company succeed. Below, 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council explore some common misconceptions about leadership and what new leaders might actually learn in real time, once they are on the job.
Forbes Coaches Council members share common misconceptions about leadership (and the truth behind them).
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Leaders Have All The Answers
Leadership is not about having all the answers; it is about knowing how to get to the best answer. For example, a problem arises, and the leader is turned to for a solution. A true leader will rally the team together to get insights from anyone else who has experienced a similar scenario, discuss critical factors and consider options, with actions and responsibilities clearly defined. - Sherre DeMao, BizGrowth Inc
2. Leadership Communication Isn’t Really ‘Doing’ Anything
Leadership is essentially about communication. The larger your organization gets and/or the more senior you get within it, the more your role becomes purely about communication—reinforcing vision, mission and values and giving context to the team. Many new leaders struggle with this, thinking that they are not “doing” anything. Communication is a vital aspect of leadership. - Mark MacLeod, Mark MacLeod, CEO Coach & Advisor
3. Leadership Is An Outward Command-And-Control Skill
People misunderstand leadership as an outward command-and-control skill. Self-awareness, emotional intelligence and empathy are the leadership strategies that allow us to succeed. These leadership strategies start with a strong foundation of self and allow people to build trust and connection with the leader, leading to higher job satisfaction, lower burnout and an increased bottom line. - Susan Hobson, Elite High Performance
4. Leaders Follow Paths Created By Others
Something people misunderstand about leadership is that being a leader requires going first, paving a path that was not there to begin with. Even if something similar has been done in the past, most leaders are forging a new way, and it requires trial and error and the courage of someone who trusts themselves deeply and is willing to do things differently in order to champion a new vision. - Tiffany Cheung, Tiffany Cheung LLC
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5. Leadership Is Nothing More Than A ‘Title’
Leadership doesn’t rest in a “title.” Leadership by influence exists on every level, throughout organizations. New leaders find this out in real time when others in the organization are able to convince employees to have confidence in the new manager/leader or new project/initiative. These individuals need to identify each other early on and become allies. - Tinna Jackson, Jackson Consulting Group, LLC
6. Leaders Don’t Depend On Their Followers
Formal leadership is overrated. It is not a leader who makes a difference but their followers. The more you nurture relationships and validate the people around you, the more you will be able to generate impact. Appointed leadership is borrowed power. Having integrity and the wisdom to be people-centric in your leadership is key. Trying to get anything done without followers is frustrating. - Sabine Gromer, MagnoliaTree
7. Leaders Have To Be All-Knowing
Many leaders misunderstand that they have to be all-knowing. This can result in various destructive patterns. It can keep them from fostering and integrating the talent and wisdom of employees, make them closed to receiving feedback, and lead to a lack of fulfillment in their job for everyone. Transformation happens when leaders are comfortable with not knowing and are leveraging the talent and wisdom of others. - Angela Dash, The Pace Institute, LLC
8. Leaders Don’t Need To Practice Being Resilient
People become leaders because of their expertise, skill or strategy, but they may underestimate the importance of resilience practices for both themselves and those they lead. The ability to lead in the face of continuous disruption requires consistent attention to the well-being of both the leader and the team. Prioritizing resilience can help leaders to manage uncertainty and avoid burnout. - Rachel Bellack, The Improv Advantage
9. Leadership Only Matters In The Big Moments
Consistency is an underestimated leadership quality. Leadership is not one act but a consistent exhibition of leadership traits over time. Those taking up leadership roles should know that all small moments of showing up as a leader will have a compounding interest in building leadership presence. Every small moment of showing leadership will add up. Stay consistent with your leadership values. - Devika Das, CORE Executive Presence
10. Leadership Is All About You
The one thing people often misunderstand about leadership is that it’s all about the people you are leading. “Me” becomes “we.” The best leaders are the ones who empower their teams to achieve the goals of the department/company. Once the vision is set, time should be focused on getting to know each member of the team’s motivations, strengths, weaknesses and support needed. - Kimberly Svoboda, Aspiration Catalyst®
11. Leaders Must Start With A Vision
There is an expectation that leaders must start with a vision to rally people. I take a different tact—leaders who start by noticing (people, markets, trends, product or service/market fit) and accepting reality, and then develop a vision and a process to move toward it are far more likely to have satisfied and successful followers. This approach allows for ongoing adaptation and sustainability. - Joanne Heyman, Heyman Partners
12. Leadership Doesn’t Require Self-Reflection
Leadership is as much about deep internal work as it is about understanding others. Those new to leadership are well-served by setting aside as much time to reflect on their own responses, motivations and needs as they do on those of the people they lead. - Sundae Schneider-Bean, Sundae Schneider-Bean GmbH
13. Leadership Is The Same As Management
The biggest misunderstanding about leadership is thinking it is the same as management. Leadership is a choice and a lifelong journey; it is not a title or a position. Leaders build other leaders—a new leader needs to learn to be humble and vulnerable as well as inclusive. By making people feel they belong and are accepted as they are, leaders increase their team-building effectiveness and their teams’ productivity. - Sahar Andrade, MB.BCh, Sahar Consulting, LLC
14. Leaders Don’t Have To Drive Digital Transformation
Living in a digital world today—where every company is a technology company—leaders need to lead by digital example. It’s not enough to just want your organization to become digital; you need to be digital too. Or in other words, digital transformation means digital leadership. You need to get familiarized with digital tools, platforms and channels and use them to communicate with your team. - Lital Marom, UNFOLD Media Group
15. Leadership Puts Profits Over People
Leaders are also human beings, and leadership is all about leading people, not machines. Most of us think being ruthless makes one a great leader, while the fact is, all profits come from people and not from products and processes. - Jimmy Jain, Square Sequel Consulting
