The Big Lie Social Media Tells About Leadership
It Could Stop You From Actually Becoming Successful!
I guarantee Social Media has destroyed your understanding of what being a successful leader actually means!
It glorifies visionary founders and outliers. When I said the word Leadership, I bet you automatically thought of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or even Walt Disney. I guarantee you get a rush of images flooding your brain. From Lamborghinis to mansions, or even MEMEs of a Lion roaring behind a bold-typed, overused quote.
Yet when I mention the word Manager, you think of some NPC arse-hole that cares more about his Excel spreadsheet than his own wife!
Social Media has screwed up your understanding of what leadership and success actually look like. It makes small businesses seek the wrong people when hiring, it makes individuals think they are incapable of leadership themselves.
Stop chasing the wrong things:
Titles
Money
Unicorn Status
It just makes you feel inadequate.
As a Military Leader, I have spent the last 10 years studying leadership. All my reading and experience has made me realise that the best, most successful organisations need 3 types of leader. A Visionary, a Leader, and a Manager:
Visionary: Inspiring Innovator
Leader: Empowering Guide
Manager: Efficient Executor
You Achieve Success by Embracing the Trio.
Apple is valued at $2.65 Trillion... yes, you read that right Trillion! WTF.
If you think that Apple's success is purely a result of Steve Jobs's initial vision you would be very wrong. But to understand why, we first need to understand the difference between the 3 Leadership Types.
Visionary:
Visionaries are society's outliers.
They are your Elon Musk’ and Jeff Bezos' of the world. Individuals with exceptional foresight and innovative ideas. They are constantly seeking ways to shake up the status quo and disrupt the norm.
Visionaries are often transformative figures and are willing to take risks to achieve their goals.
Leader:
Leaders guide you to greatness.
Think of Marton Luther King, or Angela Merkel (the old German Chancellor). Individuals who have strong interpersonal and motivational skills, guiding and directing others towards a common goal or purpose. Leaders are effective at building trust, empowering their team members, and fostering collaboration.
They are able to inspire and influence others with their actions and values, often in challenging circumstances.
Manager:
The word manager is normally muttered in the same breath as the devil. But that is a gross and misunderstood stereotype.
Instead, think of Sheryl Sandburg (COO of Facebook) or Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft). Individuals who are responsible for overseeing and organising the day-to-day operations. Managers are skilled at planning, coordinating, and monitoring tasks to achieve specific goals.
They excel in problem-solving, decision-making, and communication, ensuring that resources are utilized effectively and efficiently.
Managers get the sh*t done!
The Power of Collaboration
Let's go back to our example over at Apple. Their success is based on a combination of all three leadership styles.
Let's break it down.
Apple's resurgence and continued success can be attributed to the powerful synergy between:
Steve Jobs (the visionary)
Tim Cook (the manager)
Jony Ive (the design leader).
Steve Jobs: The co-founder of Apple. A true visionary.
He had a unique ability to see the potential of emerging technologies and envision how they could change the world. He pushed the company to create innovative products that would transform the consumer electronics industry forever.
He created the iPhone, the iPod, and the iPad.
These products revolutionized the way people interact with technology and made Apple one of the most valuable companies in the world.
However, Steve Jobs could not have achieved this level of success without the support of Tim Cook, Apple's CEO who took over after Jobs' passing.
Tim Cook: An expert in operations and supply chain management.
He played a crucial role in ensuring that Apple could efficiently produce and deliver its innovative products. His managerial skills helped the company to scale and achieve excellence, allowing Apple to its competitive edge in a market that was rapidly trying to catch up.
In addition to Jobs and Cook, Jony Ive, Apple's former Chief Design Officer, played a significant role in shaping the company's trajectory.
Jony Ive: The creative force behind Apple's iconic designs, setting the company apart from its competitors.
As a design leader, Jony worked next to Jobs. Together they took Jobs' vision and created a design philosophy that focused on simplicity, elegance, and user experience.
The synergy between Jobs, Cook, and Jony shows the true power of collaboration between visionaries, leaders, and managers.
Each individual brought their unique strengths and perspectives to the table, working together to drive Apple's success. Jobs' visionary thinking, Cook's operational expertise, and Jony's design leadership combined to create a company that has had a lasting impact on the world.
Foster a strong culture
You need to build a balanced leadership culture. This takes time and a shift in beliefs. But if you master this in your organisation you too could be as successful as Apple.
Follow these simple steps and watch your organisation grow!
Encourage open dialogue and idea sharing.
Recognise and reward diverse leadership styles amongst your team
Establish clear goals, expectations, and processes that support a balanced approach to leadership
Embrace your strengths
We can't all be Elon Musk or Steve Jobs.
Popular culture has made us aspire to be these outliers of society. But remember, they are called outliers for a reason. You are not like them... and that's okay.
You don't have to be an outlier to be successful. Success is created by playing to your strengths.
I saw a tweet the other day that went something like this:
Most people continue working on their weaknesses instead of doubling down on their strengths.
Stop chasing what pop culture thinks you should be good at, and focus on what you are actually good at.
Spend 5 mins reflecting on your leadership style. Get comfortable with it. Then commit 100%.
I guarantee you and your organisation will be successful.
Things I’m Learning:
Listening to:
This week I listened to Chris Williamson x DOAC. It was fucking incredible. ⤵️
I’m currently reading:
Radical Candor - Kim Scott. It’s a book by an ex-Apple University Leadership coach about becoming a better manager. I’m only 10% through the book but I wish I picked it up sooner. I would 100% recommend!
I’ve just studied:
I recently completed Justin Welsh's Course ‘Content OS’. It is helping me turn my newsletter into tweets and other evergreen content. It is my goal to grow this newsletter, and Justin is showing me how. I highly recommend checking out his course here.
Tools I’ve used to produce this Newsletter:
Typeshare
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