All Hands on Deck Leadership

Who’s the real leader around here?

It used to be that the leaders were the people in charge. As long as they did a good job, all was well. When they stumbled, the organization suffered until an adequate replacement could be found.

That type of leadership doesn’t work any longer. Why not? Because at its core, leadership is less about being “in charge” and more about creating positive change. It’s a responsibility we share together – all of us. In an interconnected world, there is simply too much leadership responsibility than the people in charge can handle on their own.

Specifically, each person has the responsibility to lead in four distinct ways:

• Directing – Guiding change from a position of authority
• Influencing – Facilitating change utilizing relationships, expertise and available resources
• Supporting – Helping others implement change
• Following – Joining change initiated by others

This applies all the way from the CEO to the brand new intern. The trick is to identify which leadership responsibility is the right one to use in a given situation.

Are you a leader? If you’re waiting until you’re “in charge” to accept the challenge, the organization won’t make it. The better question to ask is how well you’re stewarding your leadership responsibility right now. To get where we’re going, it will require all hands on the leadership deck.

Question: How can you lead positive change from within your role in the organization?