I specialise in helping people become great Managers and Leaders.
Which is a good thing, because the world of work needs lots more of them.
As part of my job, I’ve designed and built courses designed to give people all the tools, tips and techniques they need in order to manage &/or lead their teams with confidence. But … I’m not a “set and forget” type person. I like to regularly update, refine and improve my courses. Which can be hard work. Just like many of you who have to do ongoing professional development as part of your roles, I do something similar: I continually research and question, think and modify, talk to clients who are managers, and read plenty of articles, papers and books on topics such as Work, Culture, People, Business and of course: Management & Leadership itself.
What I’ve found over the past year or so is the almost exponentially-increasing use of SECRETS when people are trying to get you to read their articles, buy their books or sign up for their courses. You know the thing, headlines like:
– The 7 never-before-known strategies to becoming a fabulous leader
– Finally revealed: the 3 secrets to success
– Click this link to uncover the answers you’ve been looking for
– Discover hidden gems …
And so on. My post this week has a tongue-in-cheek headline just like them. There are hundreds (probably thousands) of them out there. They appeal to us by offering promises of ease, simplicity and shortcuts. They also often emphasise urgency, or try to impart FOMO.
Someone recently asked me, “What are the secrets to great leadership?”
I asked them to come closer so I could whisper the answer, because we don’t want to share our secrets too loudly, do we? There are five of them, I said. And here they are:
1. There aren’t any secrets.
2. Just bring the right attitude.
3. Get some training.
4. Then go be a manager/leader in real-life.
5. Return to #2 and do it all over again.
Said person had a disappointed look on their face when I revealed these not-so-golden nuggets. Which I get; we all like the idea of a quick win or a super-simplistic panacea to solve a problem or acquire a skill. Hence why headlines offering to sell us these “incredible secrets … all yours for only $99”, exist. It’s a con, of course. Designed to lure us in, clickbait to capture our attention and interest, ‘clever marketing’ according to those who sell courses on how to … sell courses 😂
Now, whenever you see a book, article or course on Management & Leadership that has some blurb about “unlocking the secrets” … give it a wry smile and pass it by.
You already know them.
