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While the role of leadership can be given, the right to lead is earned.
Research shows that trust is fundamental for effective leadership and trust is based on the three pillars of the leader’s ability to do the job, integrity to do what is right, and benevolence towards those within their charge.
While there are behavioral and cognitive aspects to #leadership, at its essence, leadership is affective. Once followers lose the sense that they can trust their leader, cracks will emerge. And, just like cracks in an egg, these cracks weaken the leader’s right to lead. Not addressed, subsequent incidences will continue to weaken the shell until the egg breaks completely. More importantly, just like cracks in an egg, once a crack appears it can never be completely repaired.
Leaders must therefore recognize that leadership is fragile and the right to lead is not permanent and earned daily.
An important leadership lesson that was imbued in me when I was a young second lieutenant, that still guides my leadership approach today, is that as “the leader I am responsible for everything that my soldiers do, and do not do.” The buck stops with me.
Leaders that fail to stand up and accept responsibility for their mistakes will lose the trust of their followers and, eventually, their right to lead.
