Leaders versus Powerful People

People - consultants, trainers, writers, teachers, professors - who claim they can produce leaders are engaged in a scam. They can't. If they do it has nothing to do with what they provided. This blog will deal with all the varied leadership training and development scams. Read on.


Leaders are people who have followers - and the followers follow willingly. The true leader has no authority over her or his followers.

Then there are managers. All kinds of managers. Most of them are not leaders. They hold positions in organizations, and they can tell people what to do. Yet in everyday talk, newspapers, and magazines they are called "leaders."

Is there really a difference? Sure is. Just ask anyone if he or she has ever worked for a manager. Anyone who has worked has worked under a manager of some sort. Then ask the same person is he or she has ever worked for a leader. Most will say "no." People, everyday ordinary people, know the difference between a leader and a manager.

So what? Well here's the scam. Almost all of the writing about "leaders" and "leadership" and almost all of the research and theorizing about "leaders" and "leadership" is based on organizational management.

There's more. Almost all of the training and so-called "leadership development" is focused on organizational managers and management. Just go out and look at the books on leadership. They are intended for people who are in positions of power or else people who want to get there.

Scam? Yep. If you want to "get ahead" and acquire authority and power you need to learn political and social skills. That's how "leaders" get into those positions. Leadership development, in that sense, should be training people on those political and social skills.

So most of the published stuff on leadership is about using authority - that is, power - to get things done. Many of the people who do this or want to do this are good people and they don't think they are doing anything bad. And they aren't. They are doing what everyone else does.

There is always an element of coercion between a superior and subordinate in any situation and particularly in an organization. The manager may not believe that she or he is coercing. And usually isn't. Overtly. But there is always the threat of an action by the "leader" that will be hurtful or dangerous to the subordinate.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have participated in these kinds of leadership scams off and on for years. I have written books about "leadership." And chapters. I have written articles for journals. So now I am an older and wiser whistleblower. Who doesn't expect to have much effect. But I think I will have some fun.

Remember: leadership is about voluntary commitment by a follower to a leader. Anything else isn't.