After a spending a week at a student leadership retreat learning about effective leadership, I’ve come to realize that so many leaders in our world are “doing” leadership wrong. So many leaders of today are self-centered, seeking after their own interests, and disregarding the interests of others. So, without further ado, here’s a list of five all to common misconceptions about leadership.

1. Leadership is NOT about self-advancement.

One of the greatest misconceptions about being a leader is that your success should lead to your own glory. If you’re entering a position of leadership, it should not be because you want to make a name for yourself or earn an accolade. The instant we make leadership about ourselves, we become suceptible to pride which ultimately will make a leader ineffetive. Leaders become most influential when they humble themselves and become outward rather than inward focused.

2. Leadership is NOT about entitlement.

We have all seen or experienced tyrannical leadership where one person essentially decides that their title grants them the right to enforce whatever vision they see fit. Regardless of what anyone says, leadership is earned. To be a leader is not to be entitled, but rather to be thankful for the opportunity to interact with their followers. A good leader is one that acknowledges that influence is not something to be taken for granted.

3. Leadership is NOT about being perfect.

I think that sometimes as a leader we feel this innate pressure to act “perfect” around our peers, teammates, or coworkers. Leading is not about lording your knowledge or power over others, but humbling yourself enough to admit when you get things wrong. When you’re a leader, sometimes people are going to be critical of your mistakes. But, being a leader isn’t about having a perfect track record - it’s about gracefully learning from your mistakes and moving forward.

4. Leadership is NOT instantaneous.

You’re not going to enter a new leadership position and magically gain the trust and respect of your peers. A lot of your first experiences in leadership are going to be trial and error and you’re going to learn how to be a more effective leader the most time your spend with your group. You will experience stress, disappointment, and frustration - but hang in there because leadership is a process.

5. Leadership is NOT easy.

Leadership takes an immense amount of work. In order to be a successful leader, you have to learn how to put your own agenda aside and meet the needs of those you are working with. You have to deal with different personalities, visions, and skills and somehow guide them all towards one coherent goal. Leadership is clearly not a task for the weary, but rather the patient.

First and foremost, I want to point out that based on the points above, anyone can be a leader. I think that we truly limit ourselves when we create a “one size fits all” box that we expect all leaders to fit into when the truth is that every leader has unique strengths and weaknesses and everyone’s leadership style is going to look a little different. Our world is in great need of leaders, will you step up to the challenge?