Five Myths about Leadership in Management

How would you answer this question: Do you think that leadership in management is crucial to both individual and organizational successes? 

An obvious or at-first-glance answer is “yes.” However, at second glance, it can be answered in another way. Unfortunately, leadership in management can also have the opposite effect, as some leadership styles can hamper successes. If leadership in management performs poorly or ineffectively, you will see that those type leaders end up performing a disservice to an organization. 

As it is, leadership in management sets the tone for the workplace. And business leadership is responsible for creating an environment that is employee-focused; one in which people can respond affirmatively to such questions as: 

1. Do the employees want to show up for work?
2. Do the employees want to work in the environment?
3. Do employees understand the workplace climate, certain norms and guidelines and how things operate? 

All in all, if leadership is working to make the work climate conducive for employee productivity and engagement, then yes, it can be said that leadership in management is crucial for individuals and organizational successes. 

Leaders are essentially responsible for modeling behaviors. If leaders fail in setting the tone, and their behaviors are dysfunctional, as you can probably imagine, their leadership is ineffective and it all backfires. So, not only does it matter what leadership says, it is also matters how leadership behaves, as those behaviors set the tone for the employees. 

Here are some common myths about leadership: 

1. Titles make the leader. This is a common misperception. I can have the title CFO, and I might be a finance expert; however, this title does not make me a good leader. I can be the CEO, which also might mean that I’m entrepreneurial; or I might know how to sell; or I might be a technical expert at some aspect of the business. However, none of these characteristics necessarily mean that I am a good leader.
2. Experience makes the leader. This tenet is not necessarily true. Someone may be very knowledgeable and have lots of experience. He or she may have been around the business for a long time, yet if no one wants to follow this individual, they are not a good leader.   
3. Intelligence makes the leader. Again, someone may have a high IQ and score well on standardized tests. High test scores do not mean that someone can be an effective leader. While high test scores tell us that this person is smart, or that he or she knows how to score well on such tests, it doesn’t mean that he or she knows how to run or help a business. Simply put, smarts do not necessarily equal leadership.
4. Personality makes the leader. You may be outgoing and have a dominant personality. You might be aggressive, assertive and decisive. You might be a strategic-type thinker, which means that you have the ability to envision things and make sensible connections. While these qualities are useful and valuable in certain situations, it doesn’t automatically follow that such work or personality styles make someone a good leader. Or just because you are a visionary and you understand what is going on in the marketplace, it doesn’t mean that people will automatically want to follow you.
5. Education makes the leader. Someone may have a great education and they may have earned their MBA. Education credentials may indicate that you are very bright and capable, but those credentials do not mean that you will be a great leader. You could have an advanced degree in finance, but you also still have to be able to connect with people. Just because you have a sophisticated degree or an accelerated education, which are all great, those achievements do not make you an effective leader. 

The bottom line is: If you, as a leader, do not know how to connect with people, then you might as well run that business by yourself. Once you involve other people in your business, however, that leadership in management becomes critically important. 

Effective leaders are the ones who make the work environment a place in which employees: (a) want to show up for work and (b) want to follow the leaders.

Leadership in management sets the tone for the workplace.