Being very good at something does not make you a leader. Not being very good at something does not mean you cannot be a leader.
I am of the opinion that leadership is not dependent on whether or not you know how to do something extremely well. I have seen “pro’s” who perform dismally as leaders – if you need an example, study our government. Similarly, I have seen people with much less skill effectively and efficiently leading big teams – for example, Jose Mourinho is not a footballer, yet he is one of the best football coaches the world has ever seen.
Organisations have a tendency to look for the best talent in the market and place it at the head of the table. I imagine that the assumption they make is that because this person is good at what they do, they are also good at managing others to do it. You would be misguided to think that just because Churchill is a very decorated comedian it means he can lead a team of comedians.
The universe has an order to it. A certain number are singled out to lead, the others follow.
And don’t be mistaken. Anyone can be a leader. In fact, most leaders are not necessarily gurus. They are just people who have a vision and are passionately determined to realise it. They recognise that they do not live in a vacuum, that they need to bring together various other talents to help them achieve this vision, so they carefully pick individuals who will form their team. They then describe this vision to this team and lead the way. They invest genuine interests in the lives of these individuals, every so often stopping to motivate and empower them. All this is not guaranteed by ones ability to do impressive work. It is guaranteed by ones experience in dealing with and managing human beings.
