In my last article I wrote about people being the key ingredient to leadership.
Have you ever worked for someone who does not like being around people or they only want to be around their favorites?
Leadership involves people and all too often there are individuals in positions of authority that do not like being around people. Therein lies a formula for disaster. Admittedly, not everyone is likeable, but we still have a responsibility to lead those difficult individuals. Anyone who hates people, does not like to work with people, or thinks people are stupid, should never be in a position of leadership. Sadly, there are far too many individuals in that category who are promoted to positions of authority, and it does nothing but create problems.
How can this issue be prevented? By promoting individuals who truly desire to work with people and making sure they understand the associated hard work, dedication, and effort involved in leadership. Leadership can be extremely rewarding, but we must understand that without people there cannot be leadership and we must also understand that people bring a variety of challenges to the table.
