They say that the guitar is the easiest instrument to learn but the most difficult to master.

I recently picked up the guitar again.

Years ago (decades really – but who is counting?)  when I first started playing, many of my friends were in bands. Many were (and still are) extremely skilled. One was picked up by a label. Others became studio musicians or continue to play locally.

I watched all of that and admired their skills. I enjoyed playing, but never had their ability. Really, I just didn’t play as much as they did. And when I did, I often wasn’t focused in my practice. I wanted to play great music without great effort.

After some time, life got busy and I set the guitar aside.

Now, I’m back trying to knock the rust off the ‘three chords and the truth.’ Or at least the three chords. When it comes to ‘the truth’ an old voice teacher once played a recording of me singing. She did this in lieu of telling me my grade. Her point was made. I gratefully accepted a passing grade.

But back to guitars: I’m rediscovering that the guitar is easy to play. But it takes focus and intent to master.

Leadership: It’s easy to become a leader. It’s difficult to master leadership.

There are (perhaps) four basic levels of leadership mastery. I’m not talking about front-line, mid-level, senior and executive leadership. Those are positions. Positions have little bearing on skill.

No, I’m talking about the masterful ability to motivate and align a group of people to accomplish a common goal.

This is not easy to do. And if you’ve done it once, it isn’t always easy to repeat. And if you can repeat it in one context, it isn’t always easy to repeat with a different group of people or in a different situation altogether.

I’ll describe the levels of mastery (below) as if they were linear. But it isn’t exactly that way. It’s possible to skip an early level and start to tinker around in a latter one. However, for the most part, the early levels of mastery provide the foundation for later levels.

The first level of mastery is self-leadership.

This includes (but isn’t limited to) a leader’s ability to control their priorities, time, energy, emotions and so on. This is like learning your scales, how to keep time, and how to read music.

None of that feels like being a rock star.

But it’s the foundation without which it’s difficult to build. It’s also why very few people make it past this stage. It doesn’t feel like music. It feels like work. And it takes practice.

The main difference between leadership and musicianship is that “leaders” can progress in their career without getting better at leadership. Musicians…for the most part…can’t.

The second level of mastery is task and project leadership.

This is doing the “things” of leadership. Getting stuff done. Making it happen.

Most leaders skip the first level of self-leadership and jump straight into tasks and projects. Few do this on purpose. But it is what they were hired for: To get things done. It’s what is in the job description. It’s what the bonuses are tied to. Very few leaders are hired to lead.

If a leader is successful enough with tasks and projects, they can accomplish a great deal. Sometimes it’s enough. And they might get promoted to a higher level of leadership. But eventually, they will hit a ceiling. Often that ceiling is due to a lack of self-leadership.

The third level of mastery is people leadership.

At this level, leaders realize that most of their work isn’t about tasks and projects. It’s about people. Sure, they have to accomplish tasks and projects. But the work of leadership is really about people.

This comes as a surprise to many leaders. Especially new executives. Many of them find themselves in leadership because they excelled technically or in bringing in business. But a promotion in leadership can create a “what got you here won’t get you there” dynamic.

Often what needs to be learned is about how to work with people. Specifically, it’s about tapping into the motivation and drive of others. Helping them get move, grown and progress. Dealing with conflicts. Creating alignment. Building culture.

The fourth level is situation leadership.

At this level, a leader learns to take advantage of favorable situations but also accomplish goals within unfavorable ones.

While this may seem obvious, many leaders fail to recognize or act with the timing is right. Conversely, many others look at difficult situations or challenges as insurmountable obstacles. A successful leader in this space knows how and when to shape the situations they are in. They also know how to maneuver within situations they can’t change.

Why do I mention this?

Many leaders are unaware that leadership can be practiced, matured and grown like any other skill. Leaders often find themselves challenged at a basic level of mastery – such as self-leadership. They aren’t aware that they can grow through this. And when they do, they aren’t always aware that there are other areas of leadership to master as well.

While innate talent and skills are always helpful, these are usually pretty rare. Just like with music. The real difference maker is practice. Time paying attention to the basics, working with people who can push you, and a passion for continuous growth.

Do you need to master everything?

No. You don’t. You don’t have to be a guitar master to enjoy playing and to have people who enjoy listening. But you do need to play well enough.

That being said, there is always a difference between someone who is content playing “well enough” and someone who is seeking mastery.

It’s the same with leadership.

Take good care,

Christian

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