The Truth About Leadership: Why Great Leadership Requires Real Work

Underneath all the glitz and glamour of being in charge lies the real truth about leadership: It’s work.

Wait, WHAT?“ I thought once you achieve leadership, all you have to do is kick back and issue orders.”

Sadly, for some, that is true. That’s all they do — and personal and professional growth lie buried under their dictatorship. But for others, leadership is an ideal… a bigger picture of what could be, what’s next, and what’s better. It is exciting and exhilarating and excruciating — and yes, it is work.

Leadership Is a Lifelong Journey of Work

To commit to a lifelong journey of discovery and growth takes work.To improve your emotional intelligence so you can read situations and people better takes work.Building teams that challenge each other, embrace excellence, and lean into problem solving is work.

Being a:

• Mentor

• Motivator

• Delegator

• Developer

• Builder

• Performer

…and all the other “ors” and “ers” takes work.

But it’s work that is necessary — and it’s work that leads to success.

Success is a result. Great leadership is a result. They are the end product of the time, energy, and passion you invest in yourself and in the people you lead.

This is work worth doing. This is the work that builds real self-confidence and self-esteem.

And the surprising part? As you grow and teach, your people grow too. There are few things better than seeing the light switch on in someone’s eyes when they “get it.”

Humans Are Complicated — But They Can Grow If You Lead Them

Humans are fascinating creatures. They are creatures of habit — and will go to extraordinary lengths to internalize habits even when those habits clearly don’t serve them. They can be selfish and needy, and will push for what they want, when they want it… if you let them.

But they are also:

• Resilient

• Adaptable

• Brilliant

• Creative

…if you let them and encourage them.

People will surprise and astound you with their intelligence when you put in the work to grow them in the right direction.

If they believe you care about them and have their back, they will allow:

• A positive culture to develop

• Rules to be followed

• Discipline to be handled appropriately

• Growth to happen

All of it becomes possible when you put in the work.

The Real Truth About Leadership

At LIA, we believe leadership is a skill — actually, many skills — that can be learned, honed, and developed for personal and professional growth. Putting in the work is the only requirement.

Leadership is not instinctive or reserved for the chosen few. That is a myth.

The real truth about leadership is this:

• It’s not about what others can do for you

• It’s about what you can do for them

• It’s about caring enough to develop yourself so you can develop others

• It’s about learning and growing the skills needed to push the envelope of excellence

• And mostly… IT IS ABOUT THE WORK

Leadership isn’t about titles or authority—it’s about doing the work that builds influence, trust, and real impact. If you’re ready to deepen your understanding of what leadership truly means, explore our Defining Leadership microlearning workbook.