Leadership is rarely about competence. More often than not, it is often about performance and the ability to appear capable and connected.

It is a type of theatre, or Potemkin façade, which is quietly rewarded, even revered, by organisations that claim to value ability and substance.

We tend to think of those who climb to senior leadership positions as having reached a zenith, the culmination of hard work, technical knowledge and vision, but in many workplaces, it is simply a reward for playing the game well, for hitching your wagon to the right star.

We see the familiar pattern of individuals rising quickly through the ranks, mastering the skills of visibility and workplace politics, excelling at self-promotion and corporate charm, to only become rudderless when they reach the top.

They are, in essence, the dog that caught the car.

They pursued status and remuneration with drive and determination, but in reaching a destination that demands genuine responsibility, they lack direction and seem unable to lead, struggling to make sense of what it is they have been chasing.

The organisation, meanwhile, must deal with the consequences of confusing ambition with ability.

Vision is replaced by noise. Leadership becomes reactive. The role of guiding others is reduced to the optics of control. Statements about agendas, plans, external consultants and restructures, fill the space that should contain original ideas and bold ambition.

Having caught the car, they keep driving with no map, sustaining their authority through the same vacuous performances that got them the role.

But this is not a personal failing, rather it is a condition of operating in a system that rewards appearance, ambition and competition.

We have built environments where the appearance of leadership is valued more than the practice of leadership. Where the metrics for promotion are skewed toward confidence over clarity, presentation over purpose.

As a former line-manager told me, sometimes the most important component in climbing the corporate ladder is buying expensive clothes and knowing how to wear them.

Under such conditions it is unsurprising that many people are ill-equipped to do the work that is actually required in leadership positions.

The work of leadership is often quiet. It is uncomfortable. It requires self-awareness, self-reflection and integrity. It requires an ability to handle complexity, stick with problems and find good solutions. It means making space for others, as opposed to occupying it.

These skills are rarely nurtured in competitive environments that reward individualism and penalise doubt. Those who rise by mastering corporate performance are not necessarily to blame, as they are merely adhering to the work conditions in which they operate.

If we want better leaders, we must stop mistaking performance for readiness and stop assuming that being visible means being prepared.

True leadership is not about chasing the car, it is about knowing how to drive it, and knowing where you are going.