You Were Never a Leader. You Were Just in Charge. with Jeff Geier
May 20, 2026
The No More Leadership BS panel is done pretending the leadership crisis is a strategy problem or a skill-set gap. It's a motivation problem, and a lot of people running companies and teams are doing it for the wrong reasons. This episode tears into the habit of promoting high performers into leadership roles with zero preparation, draws a sharp line between being a leader and just being in charge, and makes a zero-apology case for servant leadership as the only model worth following. There's also a name for the alternative. It's an acronym. It starts with A.
You Were Never a Leader. You Were Just in Charge.
Seventy-two percent of CEOs spend most of their time putting out fires. Fifty-two percent admit their own company culture is toxic. And 81% still think mental health struggles signal weakness. So here's the question the No More Leadership BS panel is asking out loud: Is this a leadership crisis, or a motivation crisis? Spoiler: it's the second one, and the cure has been hiding in plain sight for 2,000 years.
The Wrong Person Is in the Seat
Seventy-two percent of CEOs spend most of their time putting out fires. Fifty-two percent admit their own company culture is toxic. And 81% still think mental health struggles signal weakness. So here's the question the No More Leadership BS panel is asking out loud: Is this a leadership crisis, or a motivation crisis? Spoiler: it's the second one, and the cure has been hiding in plain sight for 2,000 years.
The Wrong Person Is in the Seat
The Peter Principle says everyone gets promoted to their level of incompetence. But the panel argues it goes deeper than that. The real problem is organizations handing the keys to the best performer, not the best potential leader. The best bookkeeper on the team is not automatically the best bookkeeper manager. Without mentoring, coaching, or structured development, new leaders simply lead the way they were led. And if that pedigree is top-down, toxic, or oppressive, the cycle just keeps spinning.
Being a Leader vs. Doing Leadership
Being a Leader vs. Doing Leadership
There is a difference between someone who performs the tasks of leadership and someone who IS a leader. The panel unpacks this distinction: you can follow every protocol, check every box, and still not be the person your team gravitates toward. Natural-born leaders? The panel doesn't buy it. Charisma, maybe. But leadership itself is built, not inherited. The real differentiator is identity. Do you see yourself as someone who serves, or someone who got promoted?
The Servant Leadership Argument (The Only One That Matters)
The Servant Leadership Argument (The Only One That Matters)
The panel lands firmly on servant leadership as the only real leadership model. Everything else is just being in charge. A story about a shop leader at Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre drives the point home: rough around the edges, coffee dark, standards high, and 100% committed to making his crew feel ownership, earn credit, and do the work together. He didn't lead for the title. He led because the people doing the work mattered more than anything on the org chart.
What Do We Call the Other Thing?
If servant leadership is just leadership, what do we call the power-seeking, title-chasing, corner-office-craving behavior showing up in organizations everywhere? The panel offers a few options. "In charge." "Short-timer." And one they've been waiting all episode to drop: AIC. You'll have to press play to get the full definition. It is exactly what you think it is.
The Bottom Line: The leadership crisis isn't a talent shortage. It's a motivation surplus pointed in the wrong direction. Too many people landed in leadership because they were great at something else, with no training, no mentoring, and no one asking whether they actually wanted to serve. The fix isn't complicated: invest in your people before you promote them, and make sure the leaders you're building understand the job was never about the title. It was always about the team.
Tune In For:
- The three CEO stats that will make you deeply uncomfortable (as they should)
- Why "you're great, now go lead people" is one of the most dangerous sentences in business
- The case for servant leadership as the only real leadership model on the market
- A story about a shop foreman who outled most C-suite executives without even trying
- Three rapid-fire questions that will tell you exactly where your own leadership mindset sits right now
You're not ready to lead until you stop caring about the title. Start there.
Have questions, suggestions or just a great story to tell about some Leadership BS you have experienced? Let us know by emailing us
Today's Featured Coach -
Jeffrey Geier - Motivational Speaker, Trainer, and Coach - Helping You Win in Work & Life Owner/Founder of Phoenix Coaching LLC Reach Jeffrey at Jeff@PhoenixCoachingLLC.com or 509-553-9248
The rest of the gang:
- Jeff Conroy - Organizational and Non-profit Expert, Motivational Speaker, Coach - Executive Leader | Difference Maker for nonprofits in strategic planning, operations, and fundraising and development. Owner/Founder of Conroy Leadership Consulting, LLC. Reach Jeff at jeff@ConroyleadershipConsulting.com or 208-215-6285
- Geoff McLachlan - Motivational Speaker, Trainer and Coach, Bringing Fun Back Into the Workplace, Owner/Founder of Professionals At Play Reach Geoff directly at geoff@professionalsatplay.com or 509-869-4506
- Myra Hall - Individual and Team Coaching, Midlife Mentoring- Helping you get excited about life again as you overcome the things that keep you from living and loving a life that counts. - Owner/Founder Waypoint Coaching Group Reach Myra at Myra@WaypointCoachingGrp.com or 765-623-9711