You Can’t Teach Leadership

Having spent over two decades in the luxury livery industry, I’ve had the opportunity to drive a large throng of executives who were leaders in their companies, but very few ever exemplified any leadership. It’s through this experience where I’ve come to the conclusion you can’t teach leadership!

Leadership is only afforded to the very few and those few are born with it–it’s in one’s DNA–it’s just that simple! Yes, you can teach folks the skills needed to become a leader, that once taught, they should be able to gain the necessary experience through frequency and repetition to become successful. But I reiterate, this is a far cry from being a person who demonstrates leadership! Again, you can’t teach leadership!

Today, with the onslaught of available motivational business books, younger generations of so-called experts on leadership claim they can teach it. These professors, psychologists, sports coaches, self-proclaimed motivational gurus, and corporate facilitators publish these books merely as a means to provide a platform for gaining lucrative speaking engagements.

Initially, these types of books had some merit as the first of them were published in the early 1980’s. Two that quickly come to mind are “In Search of Excellence” by Tom Peters and “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard. Both were dynamic examples of how one could become an effective manager. Yes, “back in the day”, terms describing corporate executives like leaders and coaches didn’t exist as they were referred to as just managers.

To this Baby Boomer, the messages and supposed lessons written in this current generation of publications is extremely repetitious and full of extraneous hyperbole yet many current young executives live by them as gospel. I truly believe this is due to a lack of leadership, corporate structure, goal establishment, effective communication, loyalty, and consistent accountability as today’s corporate America has changed so drastically due to the coronavirus pandemic, remote working, and the gobbling up and merger of businesses, along with an uncertain economy–leading now to the employment of the business coach.

During my tenure in the business world, there was much more stability. Once I graduated from college, it was my intention to work for one company 40 years, go to a retirement luncheon and receive a gold watch, get a pat on the back, and a kick in the butt on my way out. However, in my 32-year corporate career, I worked with three corporations, had a 6-year stint as an entrepreneur, before entering the transportation industry for another 20 years. Today, due the lack of stability in the business world, folks now work for 6 or 7 companies averaging just under 6 years/company with an unbelievable 30% of the total workforce changing jobs every 12 months.

“Back in the day” there existed in corporate America a clear career path, extensive training and development, promotion from within, and a group of mentors who helped support and direct you along the way. Managers were taught the skills needed to become successful. Motivational business books and business coaches hardly existed and certainly weren’t needed. Managers were taught to be extremely organized, excellent planners and goal setters, knowing how to implement their plans through concise and effective open lines of communication, and how to consistently follow-up on a daily basis. Complex goals were broken down into simpler delegated tasks over a specified time which led to the ultimate achievement of the goals by the set deadline.

Believe it or not, all this was accomplished through hard work and a spirit of teamwork and cooperation along with respect for the individual in a positive atmosphere of working with one another way before the existence of modern technology, motivational business books, and business coaches.

Using the game of golf as an example, I grew up in the era of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. Certainly, they each had a mentor who helped them learn how to play the game of golf, but it was frequency and repetition which gave them the experience they needed to be successful along with a tenacious competitive spirit which was enhanced by playing golf in college. Their equipment was rather simple compared to the technology utilized in the equipment of today–the woods were made of wood, not metal, the irons were blades, not perimeter weighted, the golf balls were compressed, not spun in layers of materials. Yes, they may have had a sponsor or two, but not the number available today and their team consisted of them and their caddies.

Today, players have a team of so-called coaches along with their caddies and play with equipment using extremely enhanced technology. They now have a swing coach, a short game coach, a putting coach, a personal training coach, a psychological coach, a nutrition coach, and an administrative manager. To the Baby Boomer, this is somewhat ridiculous and just a bit extreme, but it appears it’s now the “way of the world” in all industries. I claim it’s due to a drastic decline in leaders with leadership due to our changing society where we’ve become so dependent on others who mold us into becoming who we end up being forcing us to just “settle” never really meeting our potential taking the easy way out.

So then what are the qualities and traits which define leadership? Those few who exude leadership have the ability to capture everyone’s attention when they enter a room without having to say a word as they radiate a charismatic confidence which empathetically leads you to loyally follow them without question. They’re not at all self-centered, but with superior intellect coupled with keen common sense are extremely compassionate and passionate in providing the necessary motivation to fill the needs of all others through excellent communication skills and the art of relationship building. There is no challenge too big for those few who demonstrate leadership as they are relentless in their efforts to succeed with an endless energy level remaining constantly focused. Striving for perfection remains their goal while never ever being satisfied, complacent, or content.

Folks with leadership have perfected the art of role playing providing an Academy Award performance each and every time–always professional and maintaining the highest standards, ethics, morality, and integrity who is always trusted. Those with leadership are usually successful because they fear failure having a lack of self-confidence due to setting the bar so high for themselves. Those with leadership are typically loners who don’t truly need others or like to be with others loathing adulation. Those with leadership are normally introverts although most look at them as being extroverted that just being a part of their act. Those with leadership are seldom intimidated, but intimidating not from fear of retribution, but instead from not wanting to disappoint. Those with leadership define success as seeing those they lead better themselves far past even their own expectations.

Now, having explained the intrinsic qualities of leadership, you should also agree that it’s something that can never be taught. Folks, you either have it or you don’t and only a few do. What are your thoughts?