Chapter 64.
Learn What Leadership Is Not

The great leaders are like the best conductors—they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players.

—Blaine Lee, Management Consultant

Managers make a big mistake when they get bossy. It is a sure sign of insecurity when you push the point that you’re the boss.

You can be decisive and courageous, and hold people accountable without ever being pushy and bossy about it.

Dee Hock, founder and CEO emeritus of VISA International, put it this way: “Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50 percent of your time leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20 percent leading those with authority over you and 15 percent leading your peers. If you don’t understand that you work for your mislabeled ‘subordinates,’ then you know nothing of leadership. You know only tyranny.”

Those are strong words for the bossy. But the bossy are clueless about human nature, especially in these times. All of our people are thinkers. They aren’t just robots. The old style of militaristic leadership is no longer appropriate. It’s no longer leadership.

Today’s leaders find the magic in their players.