78.
Not All Leaders Are the Same
Many executives come up to me after presentations and ask me about my statements “Everyone needs to
be a leader.” As I’ve suggested, in my leadership seminars, I always make the point that for a company to
get to greatness, every person on the team needs to see himself or herself as a leader. The best
companies on the planet grow leaders and develop leadership potential through the organization faster
than their competition. Making that happen is their number – one focus. And they do it quickly. I said that
earlier, but it’s worth repeating.
Everyone is a leader.
But not everyone is the same.
But I’m not saying everyone should run the company. That makes no sense. Everyone is a leader
but not everyone does the same thing. Here’s a metaphor to drive the distinction home for you. I love U2.
Bono is the lead singer. Larry Mullen Jr. is the drummer. Chaos would ensure if Larry tried to be the lead
singer and Bono got confused and started playing the drums. Or imagine if the tour manager thought he
could be Bono for a night and walked on stage to do so while Bono was in the dressing room. Not good.
Know your role. Everyone needs to behave like a leader – no matter what they do. Everyone needs
to demonstrate leadership traits – regardless of their position. That means everyone needs to take
responsibility for getting the results that they generate. Everyone needs to do their part to shape culture.
Everyone needs to be positive and inspirational. Everyone needs to keep customers happy and protect the
brand. Everyone is a leader. But not everyone is the same.