Introduction:

Patrick Lencioni has written many business books, but he insists that if you haven't read any of his other work, you should start with this one.
Why?
Because most of his books focus on how to be a better leader. However, he has come to realise that some people will never embrace these principles due to their motivation for becoming a leader in the first place.

The Two Motives

At the most fundamental level, there are only two reasons why people pursue leadership.

Responsibility

• This type of leader sees their role as a responsibility. They understand that leadership is about serving others and making sacrifices for the good of their people. They accept the difficult challenges that come with leadership and recognise that while the role may bring rewards, these are not the primary motivation.
• Lencioni argues that the term servant leadership is redundant. True leadership is inherently about serving others—there is no legitimate alternative.

Rewards

• Many people enter leadership for the wrong reasons. They are driven by the rewards associated with the role—status, power, prestige, or financial gain.
• These reward-centred leaders tend to avoid difficult or unpleasant leadership duties if they do not see a direct personal benefit. They focus on their own gratification rather than the well-being of their teams.
• The biggest problem is that many reward-centred leaders are unaware of their flawed motivation. Worse, they often take pride in their approach, seeing delegation of leadership duties as a sign of intelligence rather than negligence.

The Five Omissions of Reward-Centred Leaders

There are five key leadership duties that reward-centred leaders frequently avoid, either by delegating them or ignoring them entirely:

• Building a leadership team
• Managing direct reports
• Having difficult conversations
• Running effective meetings
• Reinforcing key messages

These omissions are not all the responsibilities of a leader, but they are the ones that only leaders can do effectively.

Omission #1: Developing the Leadership Team

• Many leaders believe they can outsource team development to HR. This is a mistake.
• When the leader does not personally invest in building a strong leadership team, the message to employees is clear: this isn’t a priority.
• Some leaders neglect this because they underestimate its importance, avoid emotional discomfort, or ignore it altogether.

Omission #2: Managing Direct Reports (and Holding Them Accountable)

• Managing a team requires individual engagement, not just collective discussions in group meetings.
• Leaders must provide clear direction, ensure alignment, identify obstacles, and offer coaching.
• Many leadership books encourage leaders to set a vision and then step back to let the team execute. But real leadership means being hands-on without micromanaging.
• Leaders must also ensure their direct reports are holding their teams accountable in the same way.

Omission #3: Having Difficult Conversations

• Leaders must be willing to directly address issues such as underperformance, poor attitudes, and unprofessional behaviour.
• Alan Mulally, former CEO of Boeing and Ford, used joyful accountability, calmly telling struggling employees: “It’s up to you whether you change. If you can’t, we’ll still be friends, but you won’t be able to work here.”
• This clarity and decisiveness prevented cultural drift and ensured high standards were maintained.

Omission #4: Running Great Team Meetings

• Most leaders hate meetings, and with good reason—most meetings are awful.
• However, meetings are where real leadership happens.
• Great leaders keep meetings focused and engaging, use them to drive alignment, and encourage open debate.
• When meetings are run poorly, two things happen: poor decisions are made, and cultural decay sets in.

Omission #5: Reinforcing Key Messages

• Studies show that employees need to hear a message seven times before they fully absorb it.
• Most leaders hate repeating themselves, but consistent communication is essential for organisational alignment, clarity, and long-term cultural change.
• Good leaders are more concerned about employees understanding than about keeping themselves entertained with new messages.

The End of Servant Leadership

• Lencioni warns that reward-centred leadership is becoming normalised.
• Employees expect leaders to act in self-interest.
• Executives assume their CEOs won’t do the hard things.

The Solution

• Commit to responsibility-centred leadership.
• Model it for others—your employees, colleagues, friends, and family.
• If enough people embrace responsibility-driven leadership, companies will thrive, employees will be fulfilled, and society will regain trust in leadership.
• The ultimate goal? For the term "servant leadership" to disappear—because everyone will understand that true leadership is about service.