If everyone’s a leader, then who’s being led — and where are they going?

As the title suggests, this isn’t a motivational LinkedIn post. It’s a plea. A frustrated one about the strange obsession with Leadership without the passion for actual action.

Why I Question the “Leader” Proclamation

Recently, I was asked to share my story “as a leader.” While I spoke and was flattered, I didn’t feel entirely comfortable — or even compelled — to call myself a leader. Lately, I’ve come to observe that what people mean by the word leadership — and what it looks like without the weight of empty titles, certificate collections, or roundabout ways of describing pretty simple things.

And this platform has definitely become an accomplice — enabling a kind of leadership cosplay — people obsessed with appearing as leaders, rather than doing the daunting, real, often quiet, exhausting, and unglamorous work of well, "leading".

Let’s not forget what leadership is defined by: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹. If you are not doing that — in a tangible, measurable way — then respectfully, you are not leading. It is not defined by age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, etc - regardless what parts of the world wants you to believe.

What Real Leadership Looks Like - To Me

In my humble opinion, leadership is about 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. It’s the act of guidance and stewardship toward the greater good — whatever that means for the people you serve.

And most importantly: leadership is not a self-proclaimed title. It’s something others in your radius recognize in you because of your ability to actually lead and create movement — with and for a team, a community, a company, a country, the world at large, something. It’s not built on status or the status quo, but on what I am calling the 5C's (because it sounds nice); consistency, clarity, credibility, courage and consciousness.

What I feel many people don’t fully understand is that leadership is a responsibility, it's an obligation — not an honor. And this is a particularly dangerous narrative for younger people: the impressionable ones, eager to please, and desperate to get ahead because everyone and their uncle is a Leader. So they chase programs and certificates that attach the word “leader” to them — unaware that in the real world, you do not earn the privilege of leadership without bearing the burden of its obligation. And in the process, we (as a society) lose people with real potential to lead — simply because they weren’t bred or branded with those titles early in life.

Now back to why I’m writing this.

Lately, I’ve been scrolling through podcasts, articles, and posts — and I keep seeing the same thing. Everyone is a “leader.” Everyone is “redefining leadership.” Everyone is “trailblazing.” To me the word has lost all meaning.

Because if that’s true — if everyone’s really a leader — then:

• Why is the world still such a mess?

• Why haven’t we progressed further?

• Who exactly is being led? And where are they going?

This obsession with “looking & sounding” like a leader has created a culture of leadership branding, that’s more about impression than impact. We’re drowning in hollow words, redundant and recycled ideas from Harvard Business Review, and curated online content and personas that are -more often than not- very disappointing (sometimes disturbing) in person.

Someone once asked me how I would fix a broken system with huge wealth gaps.

I said: Well, you bring the people in the ivory tower down to meet those at the bottom.

They replied: You can’t bring everyone down.

So I said: Then bring the people at the bottom up to tell their side of the story.

To me, that’s leadership. It’s about going to the bottom line. Seeing what’s really going on. Not solving fake or non-existing problems just because you can’t see the real ones or because its easier/prettier. Not ignoring people because they’re not in your line of sight. And most certainly, not doing it because it sounds flashy.

Leadership is about anticipation — seeing the challenge before it arrives, preparing for it, solving it before it becomes a crisis. It's about commitment to add more to the world (a value, a product, a service, something with merit). And it's about engagement doing it with the people you serve, not for them. Wearing your ethics first and foremost before being “the boss”.

Why Leadership Matters

So please, let’s stop obsessing over empty titles and positions — because like everything in life, titles come and go.

What remains is the legacy we build when we develop a true passion for action.

That’s what matters.

Imagine what we could create with real leadership — the worlds we move, the people we inspire, the opportunities we unlock. And maybe, just maybe, if we do it well, the world might finally start heading in a better direction.

I’ll leave you with this: Real leaders don’t need to tell you they are one. They show you.

So ask yourself — as you look at the world today and everything happening in it: Who’s a real leader? And who just likes calling themselves one?

*Disclaimer: Image and better grammar are AI supported