Why Do So Many Leaders Suck?

 As long as people have led, others have tried to figure out what made them successful. But let’s get one thing straight: the practice of leadership has, sadly, not evolved much.

While there is no one-size-fits-all leadership formula, there is A LOT of research pointing to leadership styles that are harmful, if not straight up toxic as fuck. But for some reason we still celebrate leaders who rely heavily on these outdated models.

At LTHJ Global we believe that we all have leadership potential. But we also believe that effective, human-centered leadership skills are not innate skills endowed to a few glorious hero-leaders. True leadership must be (un)learned.

But Lindsey, What Is Leadership?

We toss the word around like confetti — but what does it actually mean?

In my (not so) humble opinion, leadership is the capacity to set direction, influence others toward a shared vision, and inspire committed, meaningful action. But, leadership isn’t just about what you do — it’s about who you are while doing it. It’s relational. It’s embodied. And at its best, it’s adaptive, present, and subtle.

Take a moment to watch this amazing footage of musician, composer, and performer, Bobby McFerrin. Take some notes on what you notice about his leadership style before you read on.

Click play >

A Quick Trip Through Leadership History

We’ve always had leaders — because as social creatures, we seek order in the chaos. We organize. We assign responsibility. We follow those we trust to get us where we want to go.

Historically, leaders fell into one of three camps: political, military, and religious. Then came the Industrial Revolution and a new breed of leader, "the entrepreneur, the innovator, the empire builder" took center stage. (I mean, who doesn't love a guy in a $500 T-Shirt. Me-OW)

These Captains of Industry — think oil barons, railroad kings, factory moguls and tech-bros — built modern empires not with armies, but with capital and machines. But often, it came at a cost. Workers were exploited. Communities suffered. Leaders became those with specialized technical abilities, but not necessarily social and relational skills. 

 

So What Makes a Leader... a Great Leader?

Spoiler: it’s not the title. A true leader isn’t someone with the biggest office or the loudest voice. It’s someone others are willing to follow — willingly, wholeheartedly, and without needing to be coerced.

What I love about watching the clip of Bobby McFerrin above, is the gift of witnessing what it means to embody leadership through the I Work - We Work- Us Work lens. 

His ability to lead a group of strangers, most of them not trained singers or even musical, to perform an improvised chorus is as subtle as it is masterful. Although he is "leading", he is also following. He is listening deeply. He is fully present in his own body, and in the collective 'body' of the room. And what you might miss, but is so crucial to the exercise, is that he believes in their innate ability to succeed at the task even before they do.

He knows that he can lead them to this collective goal because he has spent years training himself = I Work

He knows they can improv, compromise, make mistakes, repair, recover, because he has spent years developing skills to be in community = We Work

He knows and trusts that the Pentatonic scale is a truly universal system that will support the diversity of the group in completing the task = Us Work

 

So Where Does That Leave You?

Do you know who you are, how you show up, and what kind of leader you want to be? Or are you just a space-filler managing people without any people-management skills? Or worse, are you inadvertently parroting leadership styles that got us into this collective nightmare that we are all living through?

Grab Your Notebook & Pen :

• When was a time you felt like a leader, even if no one gave you the title?

• How do you define leadership for yourself — in your own words, not someone else's?

• Which leadership traits feel most natural to you? Which ones feel like a stretch?

• Where do you feel leadership in your body? (Chest? Gut? Shoulders?)

• How do you want people to feel when they’re being led by you?

• Whose leadership has shaped you most — personally, culturally, professionally?

• Are there leadership models you inherited that you now realize don’t serve you?

• What kind of leadership do you respond best to?

• Do you tend to lead by influence, structure, inspiration, or action?

• How might your leadership transform not just others — but you?

• What is one belief about leadership you’re ready to unlearn?

• What does embodied leadership look like for you — not just in words, but in posture, tone, and presence?

• What’s one small way you could lead with more alignment this week?

Still Curious,

Lindsey T. H. Jackson