Let’s be honest, the world has a shortage of leaders. These days, the moment a company spots someone who looks smart, confident, or even a bit cocky, the reflex is the same: “Make him a leader.” If a young employee starts asking for a raise, the easiest way to justify it is to hand them a title, pile on additional responsibilities, and hope for the best. It feels like a shortcut - fill the leadership gap, keep them motivated, and move on. That’s not leadership development, that’s gambling.
Confidence is not equal to capability. Being confident or outspoken is not the same as being capable of leading people. Leadership requires emotional intelligence, patience, and the ability to lift others up. A three or four-year career professional rarely has the maturity to carry that weight.
Leadership isn’t a salary band. One of the worst habits is using leadership titles to justify higher pay. The signal this sends is toxic. Leadership equals money, not responsibility. People start chasing roles for the wrong reasons, and teams end up reporting to “leaders” who lack the skills to lead.
Skipping the growth curve breaks people. There’s a natural order to things, to learn, to stumble, to grow, and eventually to lead. When we rush someone straight into leadership, we deny them the space to make mistakes and build resilience. Suddenly, they’re responsible for others when they’re still figuring out how to manage themselves. That’s not development, that’s sabotage.
Experience still matters. In our rush, we’ve started undervaluing it. Yes, newer leaders today grow fast, faster than ever before. With endless information at their fingertips, constant content to learn from, and the acceleration of AI, they can pick up frameworks, strategies, and skills in months that used to take years. But there’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Experience is where judgment, perspective, and empathy are born. A leader who has experienced both failure and success develops a steadiness that no amount of early confidence or quick learning can replace. It’s the scar tissue of real-world decisions, the resilience built under pressure, and the humility gained from mistakes that truly shape leadership. We forget this at our own risk.
True leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about making everyone else better. And that can’t be hacked or rushed. It takes time, humility, and experience. If we really want better leaders, we need to stop looking for shortcuts and start respecting the journey.