One of my clients is in the process of earning her graduate degree in organizational leadership and learning.

She’s taking a course this summer on leadership development, and she shared with me that the course materials included a list of 45 must-have core skills for leaders. She wondered about my take on the topic.

My eyes bugged out of my head for a second.

I definitely have a take: 45 core skills for leaders is an impossible standard. It sets all leaders up for failure. It’s unwieldy and overwhelming. And it puts leadership in a place where it will always be just out of reach.

My own leadership philosophy took a while to crystallize, but it's quite simple…

"I'd really love to quit my job and assemble Ikea furniture," my client said to me last week.

Though she is a prominent leader in an international company, overseeing offices in multiple countries, she jokingly fantasizes about leaving it all behind for black and white instruction manuals and particle board.

This topic inevitably comes up with each of my clients—secret wishes for their careers. Here are the three types of fantasies I've heard…