Too many bosses want to be liked, but it's not a sign of good leadership, says Google exec

Being a great leader takes time and practice, and a growing share of workers are trying to get better at it.

Search interest in the term “leadership” is at an all-time high, according to Google data, along with related terms like training, best practices, advice on how to lead a team and sources for professional development.

The buzz likely stems from people wanting to lead during a time of rapid business changes due to remote and hybrid policies in offices, global politics, changing economic circumstances and the adoption of technology like AI, says Brian Glaser, Google’s chief learning officer.

Glaser has been a manager off and on for the last 20 years and leads the onboarding, training and leadership development for some 150,000 employees worldwide.

As a leadership expert, Glaser tells CNBC Make It that people of all experience levels struggle with one main aspect of being a boss: delivering “really effective feedback so that people are clear about where they stand.”