WARNING: Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "The Lion King".

Disney’s “The Lion King” was, for a long time, the highest grossing animated film of all time before Elsa and her brand of wintery angst usurped Simba’s previously held throne. Regardless, the movie is a staple in modern households.

I remember watching the movie over and over as a kid. I teared up every time Mufasa was trampled and laughed myself off the couch at Timon and Pumba's shenanigans.

The whole time I watched, I never realized that Simba was teaching me what I now believe to be an important lesson in authentic leadership.

For almost half of the movie, Simba spends his days in exile. He runs from his troubles with his merry band of misfits until Nala finds him and Mufasa speaks to him from beyond the grave. Ultimately, he decides to face Scar and return order and prosperity to Pride Rock.

The moment in the movie when Simba became a leader was not when he knocked Scar off Pride Rock and was named the new Lion King. Instead, it was the moment he chose to tackle his problems head-on.

Too often, people get caught up in wanting to be viewed as great leaders. They believe that the end goal in doing their work or facing their problems is to be viewed as a leader.

In reality, leadership starts when someone decides to tackle the problem at hand. It is not an end result. It is a means by which we reach success and accomplish our goals, not the other way around. Real leaders are more concerned with completing the project at hand for the benefit it will bring to the group than they are with being viewed as leaders.

Simba was not a leader because he defeated Scar, but he became a leader to the people around him the moment he challenged Scar. When Simba stood up amidst the chaos and guided others through the problem, he finally realized his true right to be the Lion King.

Do not try to succeed so that you will be a leader. Instead, be a leader so that you and those around you can succeed.