The Challenge
Defining Leadership Incorrectly
When you think of leadership, who or what comes to mind? Do you think of your middle managers, your C-suite, and your board? For many people, the more advanced the title, the more effective the leader—but this isn’t always the case.
When we default to a too narrow, too traditional definition of leadership, we concentrate power among the already powerful elite. This is true for leadership researchers who use titles to determine who to study, decision-makers who use current or former titles to decide who should design a competency model or write a book, talent professionals who steer high potentials and leaders through development programs, and even emerging leaders who seek to improve their skills.
The Solution
Redefine Leadership
The solution here is simple. We need to reconsider how we define leadership.
To do that, let’s consider the role of leadership in human evolution. Humans have always lived in groups that have competed with other groups for resources and survival. Through this lens, leadership is a resource for team performance, not a privilege for the person in charge.
The definition of leadership, then, is the ability to build and maintain a high-performing team.