Leadership Lesson 3: A Sacred Responsibility

Getting deeper into Sinek’s ideas.

There still are a lot of books churned out on this topic, it is the skill people look for when they hire, yet it’s something people are very sceptical about. This is an attempt to look at leaders and leadership (I will use the terms interchangeably) and how the good ones create magic.

While leadership is a learnable / practicable, it is not taught. Let me rephrase, it is taught incorrectly. MBA teaches management, but nobody wants to be managed, they want to be lead. Companies reward / promote people for their technical skills, but leadership requires a sophisticated change in mindset not just a superior level of skills. It’s no longer about being responsible for the results (primarily) but holding responsibility for the people who deliver the results.

Leadership is after all a human enterprise, while management is a structural enterprise. Good leaders not only know the difference, they are also able to make the switch practically.

Leadership is not about command and control, it doesn’t come with super powers, you have to work for it. The good ones are also aware that you can’t make people do anything (!). It has an element of faith, consistency and commitment ( just like exercise). On a daily basis you don’t see anything, it’s lonely / painful. There’s also a short term liability associated. But you stick to it, practice and practice, honing your message, accepting the blame, because you’ve realized that leadership is not a reward or a title, but a sacred responsibility and an honour.

May we lead our families, teams and ourselves with honour and not entitlement!