Leadership Myth #5: CEOs Need To Be Great Leaders

I came across an interesting article this week that lists 5 common myths of leadership.  Number 5 reads:

The Position Myth-

“This is truly the greatest misunderstanding of what leadership is. Think about it, if you are a top CEO, a president of a company or a manager, are you really a great leader? Some people might naturally be great leaders at these positions and that is how they earned them but NO, just being at a top position does not all of a sudden make you a leader.”

[Read The Rest Here]

So is it really necessary for the leadership in a school to be highly effective?  It makes sense that you’d expect leaders at the top to be the best at leading an organization.  Before I began pursuing leadership in schools I would have thought the same thing, but recently my opinion is beginning to change.  Instead of great leadership at the top maybe all that’s needed is a manger who can pick leaders.

Obviously it might seem like a sensitive topic to talk about our superintendents and I’m not going to be the first to throw mine under any buses, but when you look at your school’s superintendent, headmaster or CEO do you see a great leader?  If so, in what ways?  If not, what’s wrong?  Be anonymous if you prefer or offer public praise.