Isn't it time leadership distrust begins to melt away? Aren't you weary of the steady stream of leadership nonsense you hear from politics, Washington, or the corporate office? I am also dismayed about the never ending stories of leaders falling from grace.

Leadership derailment studies show that 50-67% of managers fail. So of the world's approximately 250 million managers, employees are bearing the brunt of this incompetence daily. While these failures aren't as conspicuous as celebrity leaders, the pain they cause employees is of epidemic proportions, on a daily basis harmful to more people than the Ebola virus. If you have had or do have a bad boss, you know what I am talking about.

Leadership is about people, not the paycheck. But we all know that for so many leaders, it is about the money. Greed, self-interest and selfishness seem to reign. Today, leaders in business, government and even religion seem to be more concerned about the cash than the people that are served. CEOs in the US, for example, earn 354 times more that of an average worker. CEO pay has risen 937% since 1978 compared to 10.2% for employees.

No wonder, worldwide, customer service levels show little improvement , employee engagement is poor, and growth rates are stagnant. Employees aren't committed to giving their all to companies that give way too much to the leaders. I believe employees are the most valuable not valued resource of a company. Yet, companies spend nearly 29 times more money on technology than on employee training. People are useable commodity products, not crucial business partners to most leaders.

Last week, in an executive coaching update meeting, the CEO and owner of the company said, "What's with this leadership fiasco? I am worried about the country. It cost over $200 million dollars for our gubernatorial race, for heaven's sake! Money talks. The gap between leaders and the people is way out of line." This man is wealthy but he's concerned. So am I... aren't you?

What can you do as an employee?

Don't accept stupid and greedy leadership. Invest in and prepare yourself. Most companies' loyalty to employees goes only as far has the health of the next quarterly report. Companies are already feeling the lack of qualified people. Employees with updated skills and talents are beginning to rule the marketplace. Be one of them. Be choosey in who you work for, both in the company and boss (see my posts, 5 Steps to ACE Your Next Performance Review , Get the Job You Want with This Little Known Technique and 6 Proven Ways to Deal with a Bad Boss) Also, check out Liz Ryan for more advice. Be aggressive in what I am describing here. It's your career, income, and livelihood at stake.

What can companies do?

Some organizations are trying to change. Spending on training is up. Don't get fooled. There are serious gaps in employee capabilities and available talent. This investment is a necessity that is being acted on only grudgingly. Companies onFORTUNE 's 100 Best Companies to Work For list invest in people in a variety of ways and achieve exemplary results. Closely related is their passion for asuperior customer experience. Other organizations need to pay attention to this.

Organizations need to uphold people-focused values and humane leadership training for managers, and then provide the coaching to make it stick. HR needs to back off the cop-compliance mode and become performance-based consultants. Companies need to teach that everyone can be a leader and forget the concept that exults executives as superheroes, here to "save the day!". Every employee is important and makes a difference . If employees are bought-in, treated with respect and paid well, they will perform above and beyond.

What can you do as a leader?

Hustle! I have seen too many managers become lazy and complacent. Don't get me wrong--I love managers, and I spend most of my time working with or coaching them. Yet many today let the numbers, data, reports and the latest technology toolslead their leadership and neglect employees. Many are sucked into appearing to look good to get the next promotion, bonus or pay increase.

A leader's success depends on his or her team--period. Help your employees succeed and you will succeed. You need a team to achieve your dream.How do you help them more? Learn the emotional intelligence skills taught by Daniel Goleman. Be a student of the game! Get 50-70 hours of leadership training a year yourself. If your company doesn't pay for it, pay for it yourself. Get a coach or mentor. Become a coaching master. Keep learning about people and what motivates or, better still, inspires them to be their best.

Aim to become an exceptional leader, one that others talk about in a positive way. Guess what? The money will come and so will the promotions. I heard businessman Don Beveridge declare, "Never evaluate your success as a leader by the size of your paycheck."