Leadership Is Not a Position: What Real Leadership Looks Like

There is a difference between being in charge and being a leader.

I have learned this not simply from books, seminars, or leadership theories, but from experience.

This article is part of the journey I am documenting through The Michael Badeon Journal. I shared more about that journey in The Journey Behind The Michael Badeon Journal.

For many years, I have been part of the management committee of a private school that was established in 2004. I have witnessed the school go through seasons of growth, uncertainty, challenges, and experiences that could have shaken the organization.

One of the most difficult seasons was the pandemic.

Like many schools, we had to make a major transition—from face-to-face learning to online education. It was a period of uncertainty, adjustment, and tremendous pressure for everyone.

It was also during this time that I experienced one of the clearest lessons about what leadership really means.

The Teacher Who Almost Gave Up

One of our teachers was struggling with the transition to online teaching.

Our school already had a Learning Management System (LMS), and one of its important functions was lesson seeding—preparing and developing age-appropriate learning materials and presentations for specific grade levels.

Our teachers underwent orientation and LMS training.

But training alone did not immediately solve the problem.

One of our teachers continued to struggle.

She was preparing lessons using the traditional approach she had been accustomed to, but the online environment required a different way of working. The preparation became exhausting.

She was spending long hours creating lessons and materials.

Sometimes, she would continue working until midnight.

And eventually, the pressure became too much.

One day, she made a brave decision.

She sent me a message and asked if we could have a video conference.

I said yes.

During our conversation, she opened up to me.

She said:

"Sir, I don't think I am in the right role."

She told me that her family had advised her to stop.

She shared how exhausted she had become and how she would extend her work late into the night just to keep up with her responsibilities.

Then she told me:

"I want to quit teaching online."

At that moment, I could have simply told her to try harder.

I could have reminded her about the training she had already attended.

I could have pointed out what she was doing wrong.

But leadership taught me to do something else first.

Listen.

Sometimes People Don't Need a Lecture. They Need Someone to Listen.

I listened to her.

I allowed her to express her frustrations, exhaustion, fears, and doubts.

And after understanding what she was experiencing, I realized something important.

She wasn't incapable.

She wasn't lazy.

She wasn't necessarily in the wrong profession.

She was simply doing the work the hard way.

I told her, in essence:

"Why didn't you let me know sooner? You don't have to carry this alone."

I acknowledged what she was feeling.

Then I offered something very simple.

I asked her to come to my office personally so I could coach her through the process and show her how the work could be done more efficiently.

Not another lecture.

Not another seminar.

Not another set of instructions.

Coaching.

I wanted to sit beside her, understand exactly what she was doing, and show her a better way.

And something remarkable happened.

After that one discussion and coaching session, I saw a completely different expression on her face.

The heaviness was gone.

She became more confident.

She understood how to use the available tools.

She discovered that the work did not have to consume her entire day.

And most importantly, she decided to continue.

From that point forward, online teaching was no longer the problem it had once been.

That experience stayed with me.

Because it reminded me that sometimes the people we lead don't need us to tell them to work harder.

They need us to help them discover how to work better.

I Was Taught About Servant Leadership

One of the leadership principles that deeply influenced me is servant leadership.

At first, the idea may sound contradictory.

How can someone lead by serving?

But the more I experienced leadership, the more I understood that service is not the opposite of leadership.

Service is one of the foundations of meaningful leadership.

A leader may have a position, authority, or title. But those things alone do not make people trust, respect, or willingly follow that leader.

People respond to leaders who see them, listen to them, understand them, and genuinely care about their growth and well-being.

That is the kind of leadership I have tried to practice.

I Choose to Serve the People I Lead

In managing a school, I interact with many different people.

Personnel.

Administrative staff.

Co-administrators.

Teachers.

Parents.

And ultimately, the students whom the entire organization exists to serve.

Every person has a different story.

Every person carries different responsibilities.

Every person has different strengths, struggles, expectations, and motivations.

If I simply sit in an office and make decisions based on what I see from my position, I may understand the organization—but I may not truly understand the people within it.

That is why I believe that serving people is also a way of understanding them.

When you serve, you become closer to the realities they experience.

You begin to see what they see.

You begin to hear what they don't always say.

You begin to understand why someone is struggling.

You begin to recognize the strengths of someone who may not always have the confidence to show them.

And sometimes, you discover that the person you thought needed correction actually needed understanding.

Leadership Requires Humility

One of the hardest things about leadership is learning that you don't always have to be the most important person in the room.

Sometimes, leadership means stepping back.

Sometimes it means listening.

Sometimes it means allowing someone else to take the credit.

Sometimes it means admitting that you were wrong.

And sometimes it means doing something for your people even when nobody will recognize that you did it.

These things may not appear powerful.

But they build something much more important:

Trust.

And trust cannot be commanded.

It has to be earned.

Serving Does Not Mean Being Weak

There is sometimes a misconception that servant leadership means allowing people to do whatever they want.

I don't believe that.

Serving people does not mean abandoning standards.

A servant leader can still make difficult decisions.

A servant leader can still hold people accountable.

A servant leader can still establish boundaries.

A servant leader can still say no.

The difference is the reason behind the leadership.

Leadership should not be about using authority to make people feel small.

It should be about using authority responsibly to help people and the organization become better.

There are moments when a leader must be firm.

But firmness does not have to come without compassion.

Accountability does not have to come without respect.

And correction does not have to come without dignity.

The School Taught Me About People

Working within a school environment has given me countless opportunities to observe people.

I have seen teachers give more than what is required because they genuinely care about their students.

I have seen staff members quietly solve problems that others never notice.

I have seen administrators carry responsibilities that are not always visible to everyone.

I have seen parents worry, hope, question, support, and sometimes struggle to understand decisions made by the school.

These experiences have reminded me that organizations are not simply systems.

Organizations are communities of people.

And when we lead people, we have to remember that they are not merely employees, teachers, staff members, or positions on an organizational chart.

They are human beings.

They have families.

They have dreams.

They have fears.

They have difficult days.

They have potential.

And they want to know that their contribution matters.

If You Want to Be Great, Learn to Serve

One belief has become increasingly important to me:

If we want to become great leaders, we must first learn how to serve.

Not serve because we want praise.

Not serve because we want people to owe us something.

Not serve as a leadership strategy designed to make people follow us.

Serve because we genuinely believe that leadership carries a responsibility to others.

For me, this is not simply a professional philosophy.

It is something I genuinely desire to practice.

I want to serve my personnel.

I want to serve my staff.

I want to serve my co-administrators.

I want to serve my teachers.

I want to serve our parents.

And ultimately, I want that service to contribute to the development of our students and the strength of the institution.

What Servant Leadership Has Taught Me

After experiencing the realities of leadership over the years, I have come to appreciate several lessons.

1. Know Your People

You cannot lead people effectively if you don't take the time to understand them.

Learn their strengths.

Understand their challenges.

Listen to their concerns.

Know what motivates them.

And most importantly, see them as people—not simply as workers.

2. Listen Before You Decide

Leaders naturally have to make decisions.

But good decisions often begin with good listening.

Before responding, listen.

Before judging, understand.

Before correcting, ask questions.

Sometimes the information you need is already in the room—you simply have to create enough space for someone to share it.

3. Don't Assume the Problem Is the Person

This is one of the lessons that pandemic experience taught me.

When someone is struggling, it is easy to conclude:

"This person is not capable."

But sometimes the real problem is the process.

Sometimes the person has not been shown a better way.

Sometimes the tools are available, but the person doesn't know how to use them effectively.

Before judging someone's performance, ask:

Have I given this person the right support?

4. Lead by Example

People watch what leaders do more closely than what leaders say.

If we expect punctuality, we should value time.

If we expect professionalism, we should demonstrate it.

If we expect respect, we should give respect.

If we expect commitment, we should show commitment.

Leadership becomes credible when our behavior supports our words.

5. Serve Without Losing Direction

Servant leadership does not mean losing sight of the organization's mission.

A leader still needs vision.

Still needs standards.

Still needs accountability.

Still needs courage.

Service simply changes the question from:

"How can people serve me?"

to:

"How can I use my position to serve the people and the mission entrusted to me?"

That is a very different way of looking at leadership.

6. Help People Become Better

Perhaps the greatest responsibility of a leader is not simply to get results.

It is to develop people who can eventually create results themselves.

A leader should not create dependence.

A leader should create capability.

Teach people.

Coach them.

Give them opportunities.

Trust them.

Correct them when necessary.

And celebrate their growth.

When people become better because they worked with you, that is a meaningful measure of leadership.

Leadership Is a Responsibility, Not a Privilege

The longer I remain involved in leadership, the more I realize that a position is temporary.

Titles change.

Responsibilities change.

Organizations change.

People come and go.

But the way we treat people can leave a lasting impact.

That is why I don't want to measure leadership simply by the size of an organization, the number of people under someone's supervision, or the authority attached to a position.

I would rather ask:

Did the people you led become better because you were there?

Did they become more confident?

More capable?

More responsible?

More compassionate?

More willing to lead others?

Did they feel that their work mattered?

Did they feel respected?

Did they know that their leader genuinely cared?

Those questions matter to me.

The Kind of Leader I Want to Become

I don't claim to have mastered leadership.

I am still learning.

Every person I work with teaches me something.

Every challenge reveals another area where I need to grow.

Every difficult decision reminds me that leadership carries weight.

And every success reminds me that I am not successful alone.

There are people behind every institution, every program, every accomplishment, and every meaningful result.

That is why I continue to return to the principle of servant leadership.

Because I believe that if we truly want to become great at something, we must first be willing to serve.

Leadership is not about being above others.

It is about being responsible for others.

And perhaps the greatest leaders are those who use their position not to elevate themselves, but to elevate the people entrusted to them.

That is the kind of leader I continue to strive to become.

Learn. Lead. Grow. Live.

— Michael Badeon

The Michael Badeon Journal