No Bullsh*t Leadership

Chris Hirst opens with a blunt premise: leadership isn’t exclusive to corporate titans, decorated generals, celebrity founders, or people with lofty job titles etched onto their business cards. Anyone who influences others, anyone who has people turning to them for direction, protection, or coordination — is a leader. It might be someone responsible for a classroom of children, or a kitchen supervisor with three assistants, or a volunteer organizer coordinating weekend events. Leadership appears in places where problems must be solved and progress must be made.

This framing dismantles the narrative that only a certain “type” of person deserves the title of leader. We often imagine leaders as loud, confident, extroverted, naturally persuasive — but Hirst argues that this is a myth that has excluded millions of capable people from recognizing their own leadership potential. Many people lead without realizing it — they carry responsibility, people depend on them, decisions fall on their shoulders — yet they hesitate to call themselves leaders because they don’t fit the cinematic stereotype. Hirst challenges readers to step into that identity without waiting for permission.

More importantly, he insists leadership is learnable. It is not a genetic gift or personality trait. It is less like eye color and more like fitness — developed through repetition, discomfort, feedback, and real-world practice. Leadership can be messy, chaotic, human — built through mistakes, reflection, and course correction. Thinking of leadership as a skill liberates people: if you can learn it, you can improve at it. Anyone can become a better leader through deliberate effort.

Leadership is fundamentally about responsibility combined with authority. If you have responsibility without authority, you are tasked with outcomes you cannot control — stressful and ineffective. If you have authority without responsibility, you are simply a figurehead. True leadership requires both — and accepting that dual weight is what separates passive participants from active leaders.

Knowing the Starting Point and the Destination

Great leadership does not require grand philosophical manifestos or poetic mission statements crafted by committees. Hirst argues that leadership boils down to movement — taking a team from the current state to a better state. Progress, not perfection. The leader must know two things with clarity: where we are now and where we should go next. These two points — present location and desired destination — form the essence of direction.

The first part requires brutal honesty. Teams often overestimate their performance, exaggerate strengths, or downplay weaknesses. Leaders must look reality in the eye, even if what they see is uncomfortable. This can mean reviewing data without ego, listening to employees candidly instead of defensively, collecting feedback without seeking validation, and welcoming difficult truths about lagging performance or cultural dysfunction. Examining the present is not about blame — it’s about clarity.

The second part — defining the destination — must be simple enough for everyone to remember. Not a 20-page corporate vision booklet, not a jargon-laden slogan filled with buzzwords. Simplicity is power. A compelling goal sounds like: finish first, not second. Become the most trusted provider in ...