When are you "certified" as a leader?

When I got the nifty certification from the Community College of the Air Force that said "Professional Management Certification" on it. in all seriously, I get re-certified every day by my subordinates, peers and those I am subordinate to.

It's an interesting question, sir. I wasn't "technically certified" for my billet until I completed my OBC/BOLC. But that's just from the administrative standpoint of the Army. To be "certified" by your leaders and followers, you have to maintain the trust given to you by your command team and carry out every task given to you to the best of your ability. The end state is having your leadership positively impact the development of others. However, there's no certificate that's going to print out to showcase that moment; it just happens.

I think there is a difference in certification and validation. There is difference between a negative leader and a positive one. Looking at the definition of leadership being the "The art of influencing others to achieve a common objective." There are two ways a leader goes about doing this. One I have authority over you and have influence on your life. You are influenced to to do the job out of fear of retribution. In this case you are more likely to do the bare minimum and nothing more. Or the other end I am a positive leader and influence you to take initiative, better yourself and accomplish the job above the minimums and you want to mutually see the mission succeed and take ownership of the tasks.

In both cases the job gets done. In one case just the job as I demand it. In the other case you go beyond my expectations and complete tasks and even find best practices. People will let you fail if you are a bad leader. A good leader will create an environment where the people will be there to let you succeed as you are providing the environment for them to succeed as well.

So when is one certified to be a leader? As soon as we meet the metrics that put us in potential leadership positions. For the enlisted it is when they pin on NCO. For the officer we are certified the day we commission. Just because we are certified initially does not mean we will fail future validations. It is the people below us who validate our leadership abilities when we are able to meet standards above the minimum when accomplishing the mission. To quantify this if it were a perfect world. We would be validated on our leadership each time we are given a promotion or placement in higher position of authority in a span of control of the organization. Then we would lose validation each time we are passed over or not given anymore leadership opportunities.

Obviously it is not a perfect world. Bad leaders play the game, politic well and create an illusion that they are good and get promoted. Sometimes real good leaders ones who have the confidence of those below them don't play the game well. Are not always visible to the echelons and sometimes are passed over.