For many, their career progresses from an entry-level position to, eventually, a leadership role. With leadership positions being at the top of the totem pole, many workers strive to one day achieve this title. However, once obtaining this stance, some individuals take advantage of their seeming superiority and use it as a pass to leave the difficult work to their counterparts. The diligent work that allowed them to gain promotion after promotion to reach this point suddenly dissipates as they allow their new title to go to their head.
This is not the case for all leaders, but it certainly has become large enough of a pattern that non-executive employees have called it out for years now. It can be tiresome to condone this behavior in the workplace, as a higher-level employee is taking home a bigger paycheck without necessarily putting in as much effort as their coworkers. While there are many organizations that have implemented measures to ensure that their leaders are taking an equal part in the work being done, the fact still remains that leaders should be doing the tough work in their organizations.
No matter what industry you find yourself in, it should be expected that leaders deal with complex issues. After all, leadership, as described by Forbes, is a social influence that also maximizes others’ abilities in order to meet a common goal. Therefore, those in charge have an undoubted influence over others, but it can be used for good or for bad. The best leaders out there are those who recognize the impact they have and choose to do good with it. In most scenarios, this looks like taking on the bulk of the work while enabling their counterparts to use their individual talents to contribute to the overarching goal. Rather than take advantage of these individuals, a good leader would instead motivate them to join in on the work they are already doing.
Pay scales for leaders are higher because the work they do is more complex. Leaders should do the tough work in their organizations because it sets a good example, shows what a solid work ethic should look like and involves everyone in the process rather than disproportionately sending out work tasks while they sit in their offices unaffected.
As you enter a leadership role, it is imperative that you reflect on the type of leader you want to be and handle the challenging work in order to better your organization.