5 Signs Your "Leader" Isn't Actually a Leader

A challenge that I have faced in writing my blog as well as in my leadership development sessions is the number of times I use the word “leader” to describe a person of authority in an organization, knowing full well that they are NOT truly a leader.
 
By definition, according to Merriam-Webster, a leader is defined as “a person who leads.” Makes sense. But in today's society, we use it synonymously to describe a Person in Charge. But we all know that being in charge doesn’t make you a leader. Simon Sinek has one of the best quotes when he says "Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge."
 
Sometimes it feels like you are in a bad movie or an episode from The Office where you find yourself looking for the camera or you try to make eye contact with a fellow employee to make sure you are not the only person who is finding it hard to believe that this person is in charge.
 
Just in case you are now starting to second guess your situation, or worse yet, you are a Person in Charge, and you are feeling the first pang of guilt, I have identified 5 signs to help identify if your “leader” is a Person in Charge or truly a leader.
 
They Acquire Success Instead of Build Success
You see the leaders who try to use re-organizations or leadership change to bring successful groups under their umbrella instead of taking the time and effort to build up their own team.
 
You may have experienced being part of a successful team and just as you are feeling the excitement and reaping the rewards from the success, your world is turned upside down as new leadership or reporting structure has been introduced. You can’t help but wonder, why the change? Why are you messing with something that is working so well?
 
Think of it this way, if you are not a great cook, but you really like food, you try to go and eat at the best restaurants. There is nothing wrong with that at all unless your entire job is to cook and make YOUR restaurant the best. 
 
This shouldn’t be confused with collectors or empire builders. Those who look to grow their span of control. They may still be a leader. What we are talking about is People in Charge who have never built a successful team and hook their success onto the backs of successful teams built by others. Then, when their lack of leadership begins to negatively impact the team, they jettison that team and acquire a new, successful team as their own. 
 
Memory Issues
That leads us to the second sign, memory issues. Not the common forgetfulness that comes with age or a crowded mind, but we are talking about specific lapses of significant memory. This becomes apparent when a Person in Charge seems to forget their own track-record, decisions and ultimately the path of destruction left in their wake during their previous roles. 
 
They move into a new area and in doing so, typically acquire a successful team as descriptive previously. As a snake sheds its old skin, the Person in Charge begins to point out the flaws in the old area in an attempt to not only separate themselves from the history, but write themselves out of that history, and propel them forward as a visionary for seeing the mistakes of the past.
 
Sadly, they somehow forgot the mistakes were theirs which shows a lack of integrity by throwing their entire team under the bus… then backing-up over them and doing it again.
 
Lack of Relationships
This doesn’t mean that the Person in Charge isn’t friendly, what I am describing is a lack of meaningful, personal relationships with those on their team as well as those they interact with from across the organization.
 
The relationships seem to be transactional in nature. Friendly discussion about work and then that is the end. What I would describe as surface level pleasantries, but rarely opening up to be transparent and show vulnerability.
 
I remember working with an executive who would periodically poke his head into my office and initiate some generic small talk. He might possibly ask a follow-up question but if my response was not what was expected, he would become flustered and then abruptly walk away. 
 
In my mind, I envisioned him walking down the hall to the various offices, reading, and rehearsing from small note cards, as if he was preparing for a speech or a high school debate contest. Then walk away, check it off his list, that he has successfully engaged a coworker.
 
Defends and Protect Their Team…Regardless
Wait… how can this be bad? Defending and protecting the team can be wonderful, but you need to focus on the last word - regardless. Identifying this sign can be tricky if you are reporting to this person. Because you like being protected. You feel as if they have your back. But remember the 2nd sign, you don’t want to figure it out too late. 
 
If you are on the outside, it’s a giant, flashing, neon sign that shoots fireworks. 
 
It is also complicated because good leaders support their team. But there is a difference between denial and support. A leader can acknowledge shortcomings and focus on the improvement process without having to tear their team down.
 
However, failure to recognize and acknowledge the need for improvement will chip away at the trust and integrity that is needed to lead.
 
When leaders trust blindly, without understanding the situation, they are not helping their team. They are fostering a toxic culture that creates silos and builds animosity between groups.
 
Invisible Leadership
The more common Person in Charge that has evolved over the last few years is the Invisible Leader. It’s not only that physically, they are not present, but they are not engaged or connected to their team. They have blind spots and see the world through their personal lens with little to no empathy for those who are working and keeping the engine running.
 
The bottom line is that each of the previous four signs can lead to the culmination of identifying an Invisible Leader. The lack of connections, they isolate and avoid sharing themselves, fail to engage the team, and they don’t walk the walk. If that is your Person in Charge, they are not a leader, and you deserve more.
 
I have a saying that is only two words, Leaders Lead. It really is that simple. A leader isn’t perfect. They may have epic fails. But, when they do, their team knows that they tried. Their team knows that they will work on Being Better Today than they were yesterday.
 
A leader may not have authority and be the actual Person in Charge, but they can still lead. It is not the person in Charge, but the Leader, who will lead your team Beyond Today.

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