What Makes You a Leader?
Leadership does not come from a title on a business card.
Sometimes people will say to me, “Enjoyed the presentation Midja but I'm not sure it’s relevant because I’m not a leader.”
Maybe you have said this, or at least thought it to yourself but let me ask you this:
DO YOU WANT BE A LEADER?
If your answer is YES, then come on, step up, and TAKE THE LEAD.
Great leaders don't wait for opportunities just to land in their lap. They go out there and find opportunities for themselves.
You see, there are different levels of leadership.
The first level of leadership is, of course, SELF LEADERSHIP. When you wake up every morning, you have some decisions to make. You have to decide what is going to be your attitude for today. What are you going to yes to and no to? How are you going to respond to everything that happens during your day? What will be your focus? What are your goals? Where are you heading? All of this is around self-leadership, and it's got to come first.
Secondly, there’s what I call CIRCUMSTANTIAL LEADERSHIP. This is when you don't have a formal title of leader, but certain circumstances arise that give you the opportunity to step up and lead. These are the times when you have something to say, something to contribute and can mentor and help others in your team or organisation. And you know what? You have opportunities every single day like this, to take the lead in certain situations, both in your personal and professional life.
Finally, we have formal POSITIONAL LEADERSHIP. This is when someone gives you that business card and says, "Congratulations. You're now a leader. Here are your team members. Good luck." (haha) But does receiving that title actually make you a leader? I don't think so.
Leadership doesn’t come from a title, instead it comes from putting in the hard work, discovering who you are, experimenting and failing, changing your mindset, developing a whole new range of skills and above all putting yourself out there and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.
You might be promoted into a formal leadership position but if you don’t actually influence anyone or have any genuine followers, then you’re not a leader, you’re just someone who sits on the top of a reporting line. You might be a manager of processes but without commitment and trust from your people you’re not a real leader.
To me, the question of what makes someone a leader is easy to answer. If you influence and inspire others by what you do, what you say and what you think, then regardless of what is says on your business card, you’re a leader.
And I'm here to help you in that role, so that you can make the difference that you want to make in other people's lives.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, YOU ARE A LEADER.”
- John Quincey Adams
Champagne and Sunshine,
Midja x