Are You a Leader?

Over the years I’ve observed professionals in all industries assume that in order to be a leader, one must be a people-manager - meaning a manager of people, someone who has direct reports and someone who at least once a year is required to assess how the individual(s) he or she manages is performing. Oh joy. :)

In my experience there are those who manage and then there are those who lead. Managing is a title. Leading is a process, a mindset and a presence.

I’ve witnessed people at the top of an org chart, manage but not lead. And on the flip-side I’ve seen people who do not have a single direct-report lead a team to evolve and claim victory.

So what makes a leader a leader? I have news for you.

If you have followers, you are a leader.

If someone, anyone looks to you and takes a queue on what to say, what to do, and how to show up. You are leader.

A leader does more than guide and or manage a person or a team. A leader can make an impact on people that go beyond the workplace. Think about all of the leaders who have made an impression on you and your life, who have inspired you beyond that one interaction, that one email, or that single moment you observed them in their element.

So whether you have direct reports or not doesn’t define you as leader. Don’t underestimate the influence you have. Don’t underestimate how the energy you emanate can shape and shift another’s. It does. It can have a lasting impact. It matters.