Do you think anyone can be a leader?
A trend I see across leadership courses and books is the assumption that anyone can become a leader if they want to be one. I concede that everyone should at least be good enough to lead their own lives. However, leading other people is a skill that perhaps some people will never master.
For the next assignment in the Write of Passage course, we were asked to write an article that challenged conventional wisdom. So I decided to take on what I consider a flawed core assumption of many leadership courses. As I wrote:
“The core flawed assumption may best be expressed with a quote from John Maxwell:
“If you want to be a leader, the good news is that you can do it. Everyone has the potential, but it isn’t accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance.” John C. Maxwell
My two questions are these: Why do we assume that everyone can be a leader? Also, why are the psychological burdens of leadership rarely discussed?”
Read the rest of the article here, and feel free to share your thoughts on the topic in the comment section.
I definitely agree with this. I made the decision years ago that I was not cut out to be a Library Director, and after two interims, I happily stick by that (I am a department head).
I believe I am good at the details, and a good follower in the the Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way scale, but do not have the personality or big-picture vision to be the big cheese. And the world needs us, too, to see where the sticky issues might be, and help the leaders get where they’re going.
I have found the right balance for myself – enough challenge, great community support, but also the ability to leave it behind and take those great vacations and do volunteer work, etc.
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