Leadership. It’s been written about hundreds upon hundreds of times. There are countless books on leadership. I often wonder, then, why we don’t seem to be evolving, growing, and prospering more as a result of all the information, advice, and strategies out there. It’s right there, at our fingertips, to embrace and put into motion. So why do we remain stuck?

I would challenge you to consider your roles. If you are sitting behind a closed door on a daily basis talking strategy, numbers, bottom line, products, prospects, goals, quotas, staffing numbers, mergers, acquisitions, etc. then you are curbside, and you, my friend, are a manager. If you are out there in the trenches, showing your people, helping them learn, ensuring they understand the vision, and helping develop them by capitalizing on their strengths and guiding them in their quest for success, then you, my friend, are a leader.

We need both. If you’re one and wish you were the other, just consider whether being that thing makes sense to you, at a deep, instinctual level. Too often in today’s organizations, we have too many managers and not enough leaders, but if every manager became a leader, organizations would suffer as well. To achieve true success you must have both.

Leadership may come more naturally to some than others, but most often it is a cultivated skillset. They are made as a result of a voracious appetite for learning new things, coupled with an openness to new experiences, and lastly, it is their calling. When you find a true leader you will know it. You will see it in their humility, reliability, and their integrity. Ability, then, is only a small sliver of the whole pie. Look for leaders, not just people who are “able” to do the job at hand.