People often think that leadership ability is something that you must be born with, like green eyes or curly hair, as if leadership skills spontaneously generate or derive from an inherited “leadership gene.” Leaders, though, are developed more than born.
In previous essays, I've argued that while some folks may have innate leadership qualities—what I call “gut leadership” ability—consistent greatness as a leader requires constant learning and honing.
By extension, true leadership mastery is a field of study, a discipline.
Just as one must learn and practice skills to become an accomplished surgeon or elite athlete, leadership requires intentional analysis and application. Furthermore, the best leaders are fundamentally the same as the best teachers and are thus committed lifelong learners.
So, if true leadership must be studied and practiced like any other area of expertise and if leaders are in fact teachers (which they are), then what’s the goal of leadership? For any brilliant instructor, the objective is to transfer knowledge and understanding so pupils can rise to and ultimately surpass the teacher's own level. Many of the best of these students will themselves become—formally or informally—teachers, spreading their insights to others. And it’s exactly the same for leaders. Leaders and teachers create an upwardly and outwardly spiraling cycle of self-iteration through intentional modeling and mentorship. In other words, leaders beget leaders.
Years ago, when I was a young English professor, there was a standout student who was clearly frustrated by the constraints of formal education. I never imagined I had made much of an impression on him since I only taught him in his last semester. Some time later, he returned as a professor. Turns out that his academic pursuits were so innovative that his prestigious graduate school invented a whole new program to accommodate him. Impressive, to say the least.
One day, he approached me to thank me for positively impacting him far more than I'd ever realized. I don’t recall the details of what he said, but it was one of the high points of my teaching career to have such an accomplished young man attribute his inspiration and success in some small way to my influence. This sort of moment is the apotheosis of the educator’s journey: knowing that you helped guide the next generation of educators to soar high above.
There is an old joke that professors just want to replicate themselves, but there is truth in that jest. And what of it? What could be more wonderful than inspiring the future of your profession? In many cultures throughout time and around the world, teachers are revered community leaders, and this cycle of teachers begetting new teachers is regarded as the proper order of things. In the U.S., not so much.
There is another old joke that “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”
I’ll pause here to allow time for your raucous laughter.
The humor of this howler hinges on the assumption that teachers don’t produce anything in the economic sense. This is like saying we need more carpenters and fewer trees. In case you didn’t catch the analogy, teachers provide the raw material of our economy. Putting aside the self-aggrandizing claims of a few problematic billionaires, how can producers become productive if not by first learning from teachers? Teachers are the bedrock of our society, and their highest calling is to contribute to a perpetual cycle of teachers begetting teachers who will improve our world.
The same principle applies to leadership. A leader's highest calling is begetting future leaders who can eventually surpass their mentor. Here is another axiomatic truth: Everyone is called to lead at some time in some way. Many fall short. Great leaders ensure that their people succeed in those moments of need, empowering them with agency while constantly modeling great leadership habits and practices.
As always, these leadership pursuits are identical to those of great teachers. As with teachers, the best leaders know that it is not about them, not at all. The best teachers focus like a laser on their students’ learning and success. Likewise, the best leaders are preoccupied with developing leaders—even successors—in the ranks and elevating them when their time comes. They think of and treat each team member as a potential leader-in-waiting because they are.
When a leader nurtures the next generation effectively, the impact is exponential. One great leader generates several future great leaders who each generates several more after them. From there, it is like the old, annoying TV commercial: “and so on, and so on, and so on.” From this standpoint of growth, leadership succession and compound interest have much in common.
This is the true imperative of great leadership. Not to be a boss or to gather titles and accolades, but to create, to replicate. It is a generational imperative in the same manner as population growth. Just as the parent dreams of their children achieving more than they did, the leader aims for their protégés to mount far beyond their own heights.
This generational imperative is precisely why I do what I do, having shifted from university administration into speaking, writing, coaching, and consulting on leadership. By operating outside a single institution mired in one industry that is too often dismissive of genuine leadership, though, I can guide far more rising leaders. My ambition is to impart insights to every person I can reach from a stage or podcast or through my writing and coaching so that they can ascend to a new level and beyond. As Aristotle said, “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach”; therefore, my devotion remains to education.
Although I have eschewed the fancy job titles, the corner office, and any reason to wear the snazzy suits, I still aim to do what good leaders do: teach and raise up new leaders. This is my aspiration and should be the aspiration of all who seek to lead: to guide today’s young leaders to become the next generation of great leaders.
Who has helped you develop as a leader? How do you assure that you are helping to grow the next generation of leaders?
Leaders need to beget future leaders, and I can help.
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I look forward to hearing from you.
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𝙅𝙞𝙢 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙞, 𝙋𝙝.𝘿., 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 30 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘪𝘮’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.
How to Populate the World with Great Leaders