The Straggler Leader: Always a Step Behind
If you want to develop as a leader, your resource options are limitless. Perform a quick search on Google for leadership and thousands of articles, videos, and books pop up. It intrigues me that 83% of businesses say developing leaders at all levels is essential, but less than 5% of companies have implemented leadership development across all levels*. Why is leadership development not a priority for organizations? It's certainly not for lack of available resources. Maybe it's because they believe management is the same as leadership, or they are used to leadership by position. Power, position, and status are the DNA of leadership in some organizations. And that is where the problem lies.
Leaders that land in this school are what I call "straggler leaders." A straggler moves more slowly than others. Straggler leaders do not realize that power, position, and status do not equal authentic leadership. John Maxwell, a leadership expert, defines leadership within five levels**. Level one is the lowest and is leadership by position. Maxwell says that leading by position can be the starting point when you join an organization, but that's not what will define your leadership.
A straggler leader is a person who believes that the position defines their leadership. As Maxwell teaches us, at level one leadership, people will follow you because of the paycheck and not because they believe in you as a leader. Straggler leaders will remain behind as long as they prioritize power, position, and status.
Jesus Christ, the most influential leader in history, reveals the leadership model that will bring your leadership to level five, the pinnacle. The type of leadership where you leave a legacy, create a beautiful story, and where people remember with great joy working with you. This type of leadership is built on relationships, influence, and serving. It's time to learn that being a straggler leader will not take you to level five. Instead, you will be stuck in level one, thinking you are doing a great job.
* https://www.apollotechnical.com/leadership-statistics/
** https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-5-levels-of-leadership1/
Eduardo Mendes
Founder and President
Comments