Erin, good post. I’m not implying that this is the case here – I don’t think it is – but there are times when we are too glib about leadership and it frustrates people. Here are some thoughts:

We are all born to lead but not everyone leads – not even themselves.

We sometime confuse competency and leadership. They are not the same. Competency determines where a leader can serve. Leadership is a transferable mindset, competency is not. We can’t lead in every situation. However, a good leader should have enough self-knowledge to know when they don’t have the competency and make room for others.

Leadership is about making the right choices in response to changing circumstances. There are many ways to do this and we all come from differing perspectives.

Some leadership is loud and visible and some is quiet and understated. Both are just as powerful. The latter is often more effective and lasting. It’s also important to remember that leadership and followership are not polar opposites. They are both part of how we accomplish things in groups. Followership is not the lack of leadership; it is a part of leadership and a leader’s mindset. A good leader knows when to follow.

Learning to lead from where you are is what LeadershipNow is all about. Thanks Erin.

Michael
Lead From Where You Are