As you are climbing the career ladder towards senior management and leadership roles, it can sometimes feel like you are doing all of the hard work while the more senior people are cruising.

While you will without doubt be working hard, some of the delusions I have noticed people having about leading include:

It’s Easy

• In actual fact it is really tough. You can never really take your foot off the gas. Each time you achieve a milestone there is another one to tackle.

People Respect You More

• What I found is that people only give you respect when you respect them. Status in itself does not mean guaranteed respect.

It Is All Strategic

• The reality is that just like every other role there is a lot of routine. You also find that you are in response mode more often than you expect.

You Don’t Need To Make Sacrifices

• Long days and leadership often go hand in hand. Each hour you have to allocate to work means one hour less to do something else. Sacrifice in my experience goes with the territory.

The Bottom Line: Leadership is not for the faint hearted so make sure you step into a leadership role with your eyes open.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. You can sign up for his free audio e-course at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

From the outside looking in, being a leader can sometimes seem to be all about strategy, the big picture and driving the organisation forward. In my experience, there are often many misconceptions about leading. Here are my top 5:

1. Misconception 1: It’s easy

   Contrary to what people often believe, leading is a huge challenge and is certainly not easy.

2. Misconception 2: You can rely on seniority

   There may have been a time when people in leadership roles could rely on their status to get others to come on board. The truth is this does not work anymore.

3. Misconception 3: Everyone will follow

   Leaders need followers. People only follow you if they believe that you are worth following. Don’t assume everyone will be on board with what you want to achieve.

4. Misconception 4: Leaders are born, not made.

   There is an idea that there is something genetically different which happens at birth to result in people being natural leaders. This is the biggest myth around.

5. Misconception 5: You need to be nasty

   All of the best leaders I ever worked with had one thing in common. They were genuinely nice people and really took an interest in others.

What other misconceptions do you have about leading?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

Read one of the many excellent leadership books and you might think that it is a breeze. The reality is quite different.

So what are some common leadership myths that you need to avoid?

Myth 1: Leaders are born

Truth is we are all born and I am not aware of any distinction being made at birth so don’t buy into this way of thinking. If you do, you are sunk before you get started.

Myth 2: There is a right or wrong style

We all have our natural preferences or what I call ‘default style’. At the same time, the type of leadership style that you adopt depends on the circumstances you face. Be willing to adapt your style to fit the circumstances.

Myth 3: You need to be charismatic and an extrovert

Being a bit of an extrovert might help but people are generally good at looking below the surface. Truth is some of the most successful leaders in some of the biggest organisations are introverts. Again, don’t buy into the mindset trap.

Myth 4: You need to be smart

Yes, you need a certain level of intelligence but that in itself is not enough. What you do need to be smart about is how you invest your time and energies and to know the impact you have on others. Build all of your competencies, not just your IQ.

Myth 5: You need to be the fountain of all knowledge

Gone are the days when, as the leader, you know everything in detail. After all, that’s not what you are employed to do. What’s important is to recognise where you are weaker and then build a team around you with complementary skills.

The Bottom Line

If you want to prosper as a leader, make sure you don’t limit yourself by buying into some of the common myths.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

How often have you heard people say that some people are just born leaders? 

While some people might have some attributes that can help them to more easily make the transition to leadership, truth is leadership skills can be developed.

There are a number of ways of doing this:

1. Going on a course
2. Getting a coach or mentor
3. Shadowing a senior person
4. Reading books
5. Reading e-zines
6. Listening to podcasts
7. Taking a formal qualification

Top Tip: Don’t buy into the myth that leaders are born