Encouragement for the Reluctant in Leadership

In my class at UC Berkeley and working with my interns I see so many people who hesitant in leadership roles not because they lack ability, but because they don’t see a path that works for them.

Exposing the reluctant leader to the people who are doing what they want to do is key in moving the needle off of reluctance.

To reluctant leaders, the word “leader” is too big of a mantle to carry. Since language matters, they often shy away from the word, and are more comfortable with terms like manager, supervisor or director.

Last night in my sublimental leadership class we talked about leaders actually being great teachers. Perhaps teacher is a word reluctant leaders can use to step out of their comfort zone. After all the best leaders are actually really good teachers.

Laying out a vision and detailing the steps to get there is no different than teaching calculus.

Moving a reluctant leader into a ready leader takes a shift in mindset. But as any psychologist will tell you, changing a belief system, especially one deeply entrained is hard. Fortunately, there are many models and frameworks for doing so. The first step is to begin. More on this to come…