NextGen Know-How: 5 signs you should not be a leader

Not everyone has the competencies required to be a leader. Here’s how to tell if leadership isn’t the best career path for you or your employees.

Most managers don’t receive any formal training before being promoted into a leadership role. That was certainly the case for me. My first official leadership position was a supervisor for the IT help desk at an insurance company. No one formally sat me down and shared what was expected of me in my new role, and there was no training class for me to attend. I thought my job was to give instructions and answer questions, but there is lot more required to be a successful leader. It took time, experience, and—yes, eventually—formal training for me to understand what skills were important to be an exceptional leader. I’ve seen many people have this experience: They are promoted to a leadership role without fully understanding what it takes to be successful.

In fact, not everyone is meant to be a leader. When I worked for a credit union, one of the best performers on my team told me she had no interest in moving into a leadership role. She realized that having tough conversations, managing personalities and giving feedback to employees was not something she would enjoy or be good at. I always admired her for knowing her strengths and what she wanted in her career, because most employees aspire to a leadership role without knowing what it truly entails.

Whether you are currently in a leadership role or you aspire to a leadership position one day, here are five signs—updated from my previous list of four—that you should not be a leader.

 

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