Should You Be A Leader? Reflections On The Series And Why The Right Answer For You May be "No."

We've had a series on our blog about whether you should be a leader. This post offers some reflections on that series, as well as a consideration of whether the answer should be "no."

This is not an easy question. As a highly technically trained person and a successful project lead, you know the field. You are likely to be motivated by its challenges.

Going into leadership means more money. It means prestige. It means helping to shape the course of your organization.

It also means you will spend about 80% of your time on people issues. You will spend maybe 5% on budget issues. Then there's the 5% to 10% on office politics. Along the way there's the 5% on the geeky nerdy cyber stuff. Correct, going into leadership means much longer hours. Because organizations pay you for your time in one way or another.

We offered some self-reflection considerations by our friend Tomas. Lest you think otherwise, Tomas has worked with leaders around the world at all levels. You might think you know better, maybe you do, but Tomas is, even in that calculus, not far off.

The answer to "should I go into leadership?" might be no and that's OK. Going into leadership for the wrong reasons (money, power, prestige, entitlement, etc.) is worse for your organization than not going into leadership for the right reasons.

The right reasons for not going into leadership are your reasons.

Another way to frame this is to decide that you're not ready for a leadership role -- yet. 

It is a well-known open secret among talent assessment professionals that organizations are both bad at taking risks on less-seasoned leadership candidates and at the same time they are bad at developing leaders, which means you get into your new position on Day 1 (you're awesome!) and by Day 90 -- you're toast. 

Fired for your personality.

Free consulting advice: say 'no thank you' to the offer if you're not able to honestly say you're ready for the people issues and office politics. Use the time until the next round to find a mentor, intentionally learn not just the craft but the company, and build up your resume to show how you have faced significant business challenges.

More free consulting advice: your life situation matters. It's very hard emotionally to move into leadership with dependents young or old who need your love and attention. 

Regardless of your personal situation, to lead is to choose. If you can be honest with yourself as a potential leader -- one of Tomas' self-reflection questions -- about whether you're setting yourself up for success by intentionally preparing and emotionally stress-testing yourself to be an amazing leader, then you are 90% of the way there to being an amazing leadership candidate.

Then, when the time is right, you will be the right choice for the role.

Ask us how we can help you weigh your leadership options.