I recall the last conversation we had when we did the radio interview with FireLive radio - http://www.fireliveradio.com/ back on January 5^th, 2014 on the topic of leadership. One of the things that kept repeating itself was the categorization of people as leaders based on the role that they were in. We assumed that because they were the “leader of a country or an organization” that they were a leader. How far from the truth that can be.

There are leaders by virtue of position and leaders by virtue of the true definition of a leader. The true definition of a leader is someone that has "the capacity to influence others by unleashing the potential and power of people and organizations for the greater good."

So why is it that we categorize people that are leaders by virtue of position rather than actually seeing if they meet the definition? Perhaps we do not know better or we assume that they have got to their position of authority based on skills and abilities. I am perplexed to say the least as I am not sure that I have the answer for you. The more research I do, the more that I see people in leadership roles by virtue of the title with little if any leadership skills.

Perhaps if we look at Jim Collin’s five levels of Leadership we could say that at best some are a Level 1 Leader or are they? Typically what you might see is someone who is business savvy but is definitely not people savvy and you do need to have both qualities. One of the main reasons that employees will leave an organization is because of the lack of leadership. Employees want to be engaged, empowered and accountable and most are not. As a result we have an epidemic of disengaged employees that is not getting any better. The main cause for this – lack of leadership talent to motivate and create the environment that fosters engagement, empowerment and accountability. Add to that an environment that is a learning and development work place and you have taken some significant steps forward.

As you look at your leadership development program it is time to shake the trees and get rid of some of the old leadership processes. I guess it is hard to get rid of the owner of a company who is at best a Level 1 leader but there is hope – we can work with them to help them get better. That is the power of mentoring.

The next time someone points out someone to you and says that person is a leader give some thought to whether or not they are a leader by virtue of the position or by virtue of the true meaning of what a leader must be. Take the steps in your organization to provide proper leadership training where mentoring is a part of the process. Embrace the power of mentoring – can you afford not to?

References:

1. http://www.fireliveradio.com/

2. http://kenblanchard.indiatimes.com/ignite.html

3. http://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/good-to-great.html

4. http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/12/13/10-reasons-your-top-talent-will-leave-you/