Corporate America needs to address their “leadership” problem

Throughout the first phase of my career, which entailed several years at reputable media conglomerates, I always found it humorous by the lack of quality leadership that existed.

Those managing the sales floors earned their stripes, mostly, by virtue of outselling the competition. That lies the real irony of the problem. Let me explain.

Great sellers are known to be bombastic, aggressive, and often times, narcissistic. You inherently learn to maneuver around the “no’s” or “maybe’s” by exercising your ability to embellish and oversell.

The best sellers I was exposed to always seemed to be braggadocios in ways, totally impervious to micromanagement. They adopted a “kill or be killed” mentality. A relentless case of perseverance.

By being so successful at selling, promotions came in spades.

Climbing so far up the corporate ladder, however, often times ends up pushing these salespeople into leadership roles. You no longer need to do the hard selling, but rather, oversee operations, manage, and yes…lead.

See, the greatest leaders I’ve ever come across are comprised of very similar commonalities; selflessness, transparency, and above all else, humility.

Yes, humility is arguably the very most important trait any leader can possess. They have an uncanny ability to approach and connect with every single member on their team, ranging from executives to entry-level.

In corporate America, I often found it to be completely reversed. Toxic cultures were a byproduct of poor leadership. The best sellers were forced into leadership roles, which can often times compromise their way of thinking. They’re simply not built to handle that degree of macro-management. You’re essentially asking them to adopt a completely alternative way of thinking.

I applaud Mark Zuckerberg for being one of the very first companies to outlaw offices and implement communal desks.

Leading by this level of example can send a strong message to the rest of the company, that if the CEO refuses to put himself on a pedestal, nobody else should. As a result, Facebook continues to exemplify what a strong, structured culture is comprised of.

“It’s the little things…there’s nothing bigger.”

I’m hopeful Fortune 500 companies and beyond will take a page out of the start-up playbook. Leadership should be a diversified group, representing wholesome professionals who put the company and their employees above themselves.

Unfortunately, that mentality can be foreign to the greatest of salespeople.