i'm sorry to have to tell you this...

but leadership seems to be dying a slow and painful death...

and how do i know this? well i've kinda suspected this was the case for some time - my own experiences with 'leadership' have been largely poor attempts by managers (and even then i am compelled to use the term loosely) to 'lead' a team of people to the so called 'destination'...

seriously, have people missed the point entirely? leadership isn't about getting people to do a whole bunch of stuff (well, sure there is a very small part of it that is getting stuff done)...it's about so much more. it's about being human, being real, being genuine and taking time to get to know each and every person in a team and what drives them, sometimes it about listening, sometimes it's about teaching/coaching, sometimes it's about supporting, sometimes it's even about being humble, and sometimes it's about having courage...

it is NOT working them into the ground on crap that is a) not contextualised for them or b) is of no apparent value...it's not about getting them to work 15 hour days repeatedly so that they are exhausted (both mentally and physically) and frankly starting to resent turning up to work, it's not about never questioning what your boss (also an idiot who wouldn't know what leadership was if it smacked him in the head) about what is being asked of you...

i'm beginning to wonder if leadership is a skill that can be taught or actually if it's more innate than that - i'm leaning towards it being a kind of 'you're either born with it or you're not kinda thing'...i find it a little weird that organisations invest millions of dollars each year in so called leadership training, and given that i have changed careers to get into this area, it's kinda weird that i am now on the soapbox about it!

something hit me tonight! i wonder if organisations consider spending more on their recruitment practices and succession planning with a view to not only targeting the right people but indeed promoting them, then maybe the investment in leadership won't be as great - not to say that i don't think it's worth investing in (i absolutely do), but surely it would be more beneficial if it was directed at a bunch of people who actually had half of chance of getting it...not the people who get the job done (and there are plenty of them) by trampling over anyone who happens to be on the path, not the people who don't know what integrity means, not those who've forgotten that they are human beings and not human doings...

so i'm sorry to say, the evidence continues to mount - good leaders are a dying breed :-(