Leadership Lessons From 6m People

Read time: 5 minutes 

 Author: Tom Head

5.9 million people saw my post about leadership last month.

But it wasn't the numbers that struck me.

It was the 2,400+ stories.

The unfiltered truths. 
The debate that followed.

And this unstructured language data held some intriguing insights. So, I decided to download all comments and analyse them with AI. 

This is what I found...

Here's what the data revealed:

• 33.5% resonated with defending their people.
• 16.2% said great leaders balance protection with accountability.
• 16.1% demanded shared responsibility.
• 9.3% exposed toxic leadership realities.
  
   

Two comments captured the heart of it:

"If you don't protect your people, why are you even in leadership?" 
Vs. 
"It's not just about the leader protecting the team. The team needs to step up and take responsibility."

Both reveal a deeper truth:

Leadership isn't a one-way street. 
It's a partnership. 
A dance of trust and accountability.

One of the most impactful comments? 
"The best boss I ever had stood up for us no matter what. 
It made us want to do our best every single day."

That's what happens when protection meets purpose.

Here's what I believe:
1. Leaders who only shield create dependency
2. Leaders who never shield destroy trust
3. Teams need both defence and development
4. Accountability should flow both ways
5. The best cultures are built together
 

Lesson 1: Leadership Without Accountability Isn’t Leadership at All

One surprising perspective came from a comment that redefined accountability:

"Leadership isn’t about shielding everyone from blame. It’s about teaching people to own their role in both success and failure."

This shifts the narrative from blame to ownership and illustrates how shared accountability can strengthen organisational culture.

Interestingly, 16.2% of comments acknowledged the importance of balancing both protection and accountability.

As one commenter put it:

"Leadership is about standing up for your team while also ensuring they take responsibility for their actions."

However, a contrasting opinion surfaced:

"Ultimately, the leader is the one who sets the tone and should bear the majority of the accountability."

This underscores an ongoing debate about how responsibility is distributed within teams. Another commenter shared a powerful, moving story:

"Too bad my boss didn’t defend me... I’m now unemployed for violations that should have been a write-up."

This highlights the human cost of absent accountability, turning a missed safety net into a story of frustration and loss.

Lesson 2: The Weight of Being a Leader

A moving insight came from someone who captured the emotional weight leaders carry:

"As a leader, you have to take the heat and make sure your employees don’t feel it. Great leaders never let their emotions get the better of them."

Interestingly, another perspective from a commenter in the healthcare industry stood out:

"In critical care, leadership isn’t just about decisions. It’s about projecting calm even when lives are on the line."

This sheds light on how leadership expectations differ across fields but share a common thread: resilience under pressure.

However, 9.3% of comments described workplaces as toxic or unsupportive, often pointing to leadership failures. As one commenter lamented:

"Too many leaders protect themselves at the expense of their teams, and that’s why toxic cultures thrive."

This adds a nuanced layer to the conversation, balancing the need for resilience with authenticity and workplace culture.

Lesson 3: Empathy Alone Is Not Enough

Empathy has become a buzzword in leadership, but one commenter brought a dose of reality:

"Empathy without accountability can lead to chaos; accountability without empathy can foster resentment."

The sweet spot? Balancing both. Empathy shows you care about your team as people. Accountability ensures the work gets done. When you have one without the other, you’re either leading with softness that breeds complacency or with rigidity that stifles trust.

Surprisingly, 16.1% of comments highlighted the importance of shared responsibility within teams. One noted:

"It’s not just about the leader protecting the team. The team also needs to step up and take responsibility."

This recognition of collective accountability reflects a maturing view of leadership as a collaborative effort.

Lesson 4: Leadership Is About the Team, Not the Ego

Among the critiques of bad leadership, this stood out:

"Managers point blame to their team when something goes wrong. Be a leader, not a manager. Something goes wrong? That’s on you, not them."

Another surprising insight came from a story about humility:

"The best leader I worked for started every team meeting with, 'What can I do better for you?' It showed us that leadership wasn’t about him; it was about us."

Over a third of commenters (33.5%) resonated with the post’s message, affirming that defending your team is a non-negotiable aspect of leadership. As one commenter noted:

"If you don’t protect your people, why are you even in leadership?"

However, one commenter raised a concern:

"If leaders focus too much on pleasing the team, they risk losing authority. Sometimes, tough calls aren’t popular but are necessary."

This illustrates the delicate balance between being approachable and maintaining authority as a leader.

Here's the Truth...

If there’s one takeaway from 5.9 million impressions and thousands of comments, it’s this: leadership isn’t a destination. It’s a constant journey of learning, failing, and growing. It’s about balance, between empathy and accountability, between protecting your team and holding them to a standard, between being human and being resilient.

Great leadership isn't about always taking the hit. 

Or always letting your team face the storm.

It's about building a group who can weather any storm together.

If you've got here well done. You are undoubtedly a better leader already. And if you're interested in how analysing unstructured language data could help you gain an edge in your business get in touch and we can have a coffee and discuss.