5 Important Things You May Not Know About Leadership

I know there are so many things you have heard about leadership and there are so many things you may also have been taught about it. In this post, I would like to share with you 5 important things about leadership you may not have known before now.

Leadership Is Not A Title

This is one of the first things I believe anyone getting started in leadership needs to know. Oftentimes, when I ask people ‘are you a leader?’, I always am sure to get the reply, ‘no, I am not.’ To these individuals who answer in this way, they are always of the view that ‘leadership is a title’ and so because they do not have any title accorded to them, they are not a leader.

So, if you are going to be effective in any place and anywhere you find yourself, you will have to take note of this and always remember it, leadership is not a title. And permit me to also add, leadership is not a position. Just hold on first, I know we have positions created and we fondly refer to the occupants of those positions as leaders. But, you need to understand that occupants of those positions are not leaders because they are in a position but they are in the position because they are leaders. So, being a leader is not something that a position or title confers on you but it is something that you become first before a position or title comes.

A pilot is not a pilot just because he is in the cockpit, he or she is a pilot because he or she has been trained and certified as one. Understand this and you will never

have a challenge with your leadership.

Leadership Is An Art, Not Science, It Can Be Developed

I guess I need to state this first, I have nothing against science. It is an important subject and profession. We would not have been where we are today in terms of the development of the human race, if not for advances in science. Having stated that, the next important thing about leadership you must know is that leadership is an art, not a science. This means that leadership needs to be developed through practices and not just through the memorization of some formula or laws.

Another important thing I need you to know is that leadership is a choice. Whether or not you become a leader is your choice. And the quality of leader you become at the end of the day is also 100 percent your choice. The choice of becoming a leader starts first with you choosing to take responsibility to become one. This is because leadership is not easy. It comes with great demands and sacrifices.

No Matter Who You Are Or What You Do, Leadership Is Needed

Leadership is one of the few concepts that affect all aspects of human lives and endeavours. No matter who you are, where you are or what you do, you need leadership. Beginning from the family, leadership is needed to ensure the proper functioning of the home front. Out on the streets, leadership is needed to ensure that chaos is eliminated while the order is upheld. There is no aspect of human existence where leadership is not needed.

So, learning to develop or grow yourself into becoming an effective leader is simply you learning to grow yourself into becoming one that is relevant to every system where you find yourself in.

There is No End To Leadership Development

As I stated in the first point, leadership is not a title or a position that you get into and you applaud yourself for having finally become a leader. No, leadership is a journey. And the journey continues every day of your life so long as you remain interested in it.

Oftentimes, you see many who get started in leadership plateau early because they either become satisfied with the little they have achieved or they just could not get themselves to stay motivated. In another post, I will write about how you can keep yourself motivated as a leader. This is because you need the motivation to continue to pay the price of leadership.