The Appearance of Non-Leaders

By Jeremy Francis

I suppose it is not surprising that when there is a leadership vacuum all sorts of non-leaders seek to fill it! Much has been written about leaders but what about non-leaders? Well here is my attempt at identifying non-leaders in a leadership contest. Use the following eight descriptions to weed out anyone applying for a leadership role in your organisation. I am going to focus on non-leadership language!

Here are eight descriptions:

A non-leader is someone who says:

1. ‘I am not really a leader’. Intriguing! Then why are you standing for a leadership role?

2. ‘I would not describe myself as charismatic.’ Great! Then how would you describe yourself? Perhaps dull?

3. ‘I don’t rely on specialists’. Really! Then who do you rely on… idiots?

4. ‘I can deliver a better future.’ Interesting! What exactly is this better future and for whose benefit? Yours I suppose!

5. ‘My theory is this… ‘ Go on, tell us more! Theories are like arseholes, everyone has one!

6. ‘Let me say what a great job my predecessor has done.’ Oh, right! That’s the predecessor you have insulted in public and stabbed in the back!

7. ‘My plans are laid out in this 5,000 word document.’ Gosh, that’s impressive. But powerful plans like Churchill’s ‘We shall fight them on the beaches’ are contained in one sentence!

8. ‘If I don’t win support I will vote for (name of contender)’. That’s makes sense! Presumably that’s an opponent you are fighting against! Interesting strategy for a would-be leader! Maybe you know you are a loser!

Well there are my eight non-leader talk descriptions.

Only a misinformed, out of touch, egocentric individual would use such language – who might these people be? Could they be the self-satisfied, self-important and self-promoting individuals often found in politics?

Not always, they are found in all walks of life. They are psychopathic in nature, caring only for themselves and getting what they want at all costs. Take a careful look at their track record and the havoc they have wrought in trying to get to the top. Talk to people who have worked with them. Take their advice on how to handle them. Use your findings when interviewing them for the post.

So beware of people who use non-leader talk. They may not be a politician but they are most certainly a fraud, and we all know that frauds cannot be trusted!