True leadership is a rare thing

It occurred to me recently that almost none of the supervisors I have worked with in the past knew a single thing about leadership or management. One of them, the editor of an entertainment news Web site, communicated strictly through IM — even with staff members she sat directly across from. And if an employee took initiative or demonstrated even an ounce of ambition, she shot them down almost instantly.

Any notion of change seemed to rile her up, as if new ideas were deadly viruses. Teamwork and staff morale were clearly of no importance to her. At 6 a.m. she clocked in, left her humanity behind, and performed her duties like a blind, faithful servant. She was in it, I believe, for the money. Even though, the money, I suspect, wasn’t very good — in her mid-30s, she was living in a house full of roommates.

She was unqualified to be editor-in-chief, but thanks to nepotism, she had been in the position for over seven years. This was a woman whose every action was based on fear — fear of losing her job, fear of change, fear of anything outside her comfort zone. Because of office politics, none of the staff ever mustered the courage to challenge her ways. I did attempt to cause a ripple through a few honest e-mails, but the woman treated them like spam.

What I learned was this: true and effective leadership is rare. Not everyone has it in them. It’s unfortunate when those who do have it are stifled and silenced, their ideas unwelcome, their skills undervalued.