Three Leadership Myths Rarely Discussed…If at All

You’ve seen the articles about leadership myths, but most seem well-known including:

• Leaders are born, not made
• Leaders need to be extroverts / charismatic / popular / outgoing
• You need an authoritative role to lead (such as being a manager or executive)
• Leaders are always right
• Reading about leadership is enough to become a leader
• Men make better leaders than women

The myths below are different: few discuss them or even recognize that they exist.

I derived these myths while researching how leadership is radically changing. Examining myths — especially tacit ones — and demystifying them helps to distinguish leadership from management, to avoid making these mistakes, and to practice authentic and effective leadership.

Myth #1: Leadership is about getting things done through others

In their books, several authors define leadership in terms of accomplishing visions, goals, or objectives by influencing followers to do the work…