LEADRSHIP MYTHS By Tom Cocklereece

I read an article on leadership recently and found these 22 Leadership Myths to be worth sharing.  The article was written by Tom Cocklereece.  At the close of the first 5 myths I want to share a Scripture from God’s Word on Leadership.  This will be a 4 part devotional series.  For those in leadership of any capacity may these insights strengthen your level of influence.

LEADERSHIP MYTHS

I am making an ongoing collection of leadership misconceptions and I have gathered 22 to get the list started.

Perhaps the list will help readers in some way and be discussion starters. I did not come up with all of these and in fact gathered them from various sources. Some of them are common thoughts about leadership.

Please submit additional potential misconceptions in the comments section and I will consider adding them to the ongoing list, giving credit to the one making the submission.

1. Leaders are born and not made.

No! While some people develop innate leadership skills early, many learn the skills and become good leaders because of crises and challenges.

2. Leaders define leadership.

No! The fact is that followers define leadership and why they follow another person. Leaders cannot always identify why others follow them although it must be stated that people will often follow a leader that is absolutely WRONG.

3. A person is a leader because he or she has a title.

No! Positional leadership is temporary. People decide rather quickly whether they will continue to follow an individual in a position. He or she must earn the right. It is called Leadership Capital.

4. A person is a leader because he or she has power and authority.

No! A person may have the authority to make decisions, but that does not mean he or she makes good decisions. Likewise, some leaders have had little authority but were great leaders. Martin Luther King Jr. is an example.

5. Managers are leaders.

No! The opposite is also false: Leaders are managers. While there are similarities, there are some differences between managing and leading.

GOD’S WORD ON LEADERSHIP

Matthew 20:26 – “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant . . .

John Maxwell:  “Who you are precedes what you do . . . LEADERSHIP begins with the heart.