Are You Developing Leaders?

The film won five Academy Awards and was the second-highest-grossing film in 2000. Like many of you, I’ve watched Gladiator several times and marveled at the cinematography and acting by Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. There is a contrast in leadership styles between Crowe’s character, Maximus, and Phoenix’s character, Emperor Commodus.
Maximus is the enslaved general, charismatic, inspirational, and determined, and knows the names of every one of his subordinates and truly cares for them. Conversely, Commodus is a power-hungry emperor who rules by fear and feels threatened by Maximus’ emotional grip on his people. Taught how to lead, Maximus earned the respect of his men and never asked his soldiers to do something he wouldn’t. On the other hand, Commodus was born into his emperorship and demanded others to sacrifice for his gain, caring little about the welfare of his subjects. You can’t help but want to mirror Maximus’ leadership and reject Commodus’s.
How do you develop leaders, not managers, but leaders – people who envision a path forward and inspire others to follow, even under the direst of circumstances? I’ve often heard the trope that leaders are born and not made. Nothing is further from the truth. Try to convince all the men and women who serve in our armed forces that leaders are born and not made. They’ll laugh you out of boot camp, where thousands of young men and women transform into budding leaders upon graduation. No, people can learn to be leaders, given the investment of resources and knowledge and an aspiring Maximus.
Troubling, though, rarely is this investment made. I’ve encountered several companies that promote and expect the new manager to be a leader. The assumption is that they will excel as leaders because they are hard workers, outperform others, and have magnetic personalities. I’ve heard countless times from business owners, CEOs, and other executives how surprised they were that one of their promoted team members was struggling and, in some cases, failing as a leader! When I hear this, I ask what they are doing to develop organizational leaders. Then, there is silence.
Fortune 500 Companies understand the importance of investing in leadership development. They send their rising stars to the finest national and international leadership development institutions and create in-house programs that train their future leaders on the skills required to succeed. However, the mid and lower-tier companies that could benefit most from a formalized leadership program don’t invest, and they really should.
If you don’t have a leadership training development program in your company, consider investing in one. Many resources are available, starting with engaging a leadership coach for you and your leadership team. Just as any coach brings the very best out of professional sports athletes, reputable and experienced leadership coaches will challenge you to be the best leader you can be in the company.
COL Paul A. Raggio (Ret), the owner of Five Star Leader Development, is a fractional CEO/COO who develops C-Suite executives, business owners, and their management teams on leadership, management principles, and best business practices. Contact him to achieve exceptional results in your company! His email address is paul@fivestarleaderdevelopment.com, and his phone number is (252) 571-7368. Visit his website at www.fivestarleaderdevelopment.com.