Can you really call yourself a leader?

During the course of the pandemic, we have shifted from an environment of being seen, to being out of sight. We can no longer measure good performance based on what it looks like somebody is doing. Value and volume of output (and outcomes) have become more important because they are the only measurement leaders have had to go on when everyone is working from home. For employees who are efficient with their time and energy this is great. For those who fill their calendars with meetings (and avoiding doing work as a result) this is more challenging. But the real challenge comes as a leader, where a huge pivot has been required to truly lead people without direct contact with them.

A leader vs someone who leads

We often assume that just because somebody is in a senior position it makes them a leader. This is not the case. Instead, it can be broken down into two categories, ‘leaders’ and ‘managers.’ For clarity lets define the two:

Manager: People that are in charge (by position), and often decision makers.

Leader: People who have the respect of others (and take care of everybody in their charge), they can have authority but this is not a necessary component of a leader.

You can fit the definition of both a manager and a leader, but also fall into just one category. Simon Sinek describes this by stating that ‘there are leaders, and there are those who lead.’ A more agile nature to the world of work will exacerbate the…