Not everyone can or should be a leader
As part of the management team, I’ve sometimes had to make the difficult decision to turn down several of my staff for leadership positions.
Some didn’t take my decision too well and decided to leave the company.
Now, most of them were really good at what they did as an individual contributor and had expressed their desire to take on a leadership position. But sadly, willingness and performance aren’t always indicators of leadership capability: just because someone is an exceptional worker doesn’t mean they’re great at leading and inspiring a team as a manager.
Here are some warning signs when someone is not ready for a leadership position:
They don’t care. They lack empathy and do not love people.
They’re self-serving instead of serving others. They care more for their own agenda instead of wanting to grow and develop others.
They get results the wrong way. To get things done their way, they abuse their influence and manipulate others.
They take the credit instead of giving it to others.
They’re not comfortable and don’t have the patience for one-on-one time with people. They’d rather instruct instead of listening and co-creating a solution with them.
They repel others. Instead of attracting people who want to work with them, they’d rather stay away.
The good news is that these signs don’t always mean someone will never be a leader, it just means that they’re not ready yet.
Leaders can be made if they’re willing to put in the work to address their gaps. Companies should put in place leadership development programs to teach their employees how to be good leaders before they get promoted. That way, you can retain good talents and nurture them into great leaders. ●