Leadership is often romanticised, be it in the corporate corridors, in politics and generally in all social circles. We glorify the one at the front, the coach, the captain, the CEO, the president. Leaders are obsessed with everywhere, even in the animal kingdom.
What leaders do not realise mostly is that to lead is to inherit the imperfections, fears, and failures of many. The success of a leader is not simply a reflection of their brilliance – it is the summation of the entire team’s shortfalls. A leader rises or falls not on his or her personal excellence alone, but on how well they carry the weight of everyone around them.
This statement may be taken as cliché but when you are in the thick of things as a leader, you will be confronted with many instances when you know too well that had you done something yourself, you would do it faster, but as a good leader, you learn over time to resist the temptation to do so.
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Before a leader becomes a leader, life is simpler. Many leaders fondly remember how life was before responsibility found them. In those early days, speed was your strength, your ability to rise early, finish tasks, and move quickly became your advantage. Time was your own. Your progress belonged solely to you, and the path ahead seemed clear. Simply put, you are in control.
In the lower tiers of any organisation, the rules are straightforward. Do your work, submit your deliverables, and you are safe. You may not even have to think because the role of thinking is above your pay-grade – that is what leaders are paid to do. At lower levels, teamwork is a good thing to have but not a requirement. You can shine alone. You can succeed alone. And often, you do.
An African wisdom whispers, “If you want to go fast, go alone.” And so, should you run faster than your peers you win. Alone you are more accurate, more determined, and can be more visible. And soon, the spotlight will find you, and as it does, it slowly pushes you upward. Your excellence becomes your ticket to bigger rooms, and ironically, your future burden.
True success is not a solo endeavour. It is the art of nurturing, of seeing potential in chaos and moulding it into purpose. It is the humility to recognise that excellence must be taught, not demanded. The courage to confront darkness without losing your own light. The wisdom to understand that rising alone is not triumph, it is isolation. True leadership demands a special kind of discipline to be patient when every instinct wants to sprint.
I learnt this important lesson from my daughters Taraji and Maya – simple actions like serving their food or tying shoelaces would be executed faster if I did it for them, but by doing so, how would they ever learn to do it themselves?
Every leader must eventually transform from a doer to an enabler. From one who runs fast to one who carries others. You learn to celebrate small victories, the shy one who finally speaks, the slow one who becomes consistent, the stubborn one who learns to cooperate. You learn that leadership is not about producing perfection but delivering progress very slowly. As a leader, you must possess the patience of the gods.
When you rise into leadership, the rules change. Now, you are measured not by how effectively you move, but by how far you can move others. If you want to go far, go together. Suddenly, the game is no longer about arriving first… it is about ensuring no one is left behind. You soon realise that leadership is not merely about personal excellence, it is about collective movement.
As a leader, you stand in the middle of brilliance and insecurity, hunger and mediocrity. You learn quickly that you can no longer run at your natural pace, nay, you must pause to teach, align, guide, encourage, and sometimes carry. Your victories are no longer solo achievements. They are measured in how many succeeded with you. Your success is no longer defined by your talent, but by your ability to multiply the competence of others. Frankly speaking, your success will always be shaped by the limitations and weaknesses of those around you.
Leadership itself strips away romantic idealism. In one team you will have the strong, capable, reliable, self-driven. You will meet in the same team the weak, fearful, inconsistent, unfocused. And then you will have the saboteurs, the ones who resist growth, whisper doubt, gossip, delay, and quietly poison possibility. Leadership forces you to face them all. Not because you want to, but because it is your responsibility.
A single careless teammate can erase months of effort. One who cannot keep time can make you late. One who communicates poorly can distort your message, one who fears change can slow your momentum. The careless can frustrate the careful, the lazy can wear down the committed. And yet, it is your job to carry them, shape them, or when necessary, release them.
Slowly, leadership stops being a glamorous title and becomes a daily act of endurance. Your wins become fewer, but deeper. Your losses become heavier and more visible. Thankfully, you are not doing it alone. There are examples to learn from. For me, reading the examples and experiences of others helps a lot.
At the highest expression of leadership lives a rare kind of figure, the leader who carries both fierce resolve and profound humility. Jim Collins calls this the Level 5 Executive. The one who is bold yet self-effacing, ambitious yet not for self, a quiet catalyst whose strength is rarely announced but always felt. This leader understands that their task is not to be the smartest in the room, but to make the room smarter; not to take credit when things go right, but to assume responsibility when they go wrong.
Such leaders do not resent the burden of others. They embrace it as the purpose of their calling. They nurture the weak, challenge the strong, redirect the wayward, and face the saboteur with courage. They build systems, trust, and cultures that outlive them. They leave behind leaders, not followers.
This is the calling of the Level 5 Executive, to turn the shortfalls of the many into the success of all. And in doing so, they go farther than any single individual ever could.
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By Frank Ochieng