You Can Be a Leader Without a Title
- By Lakin Rotz
- Aug 14, 2018
- 3 min read
Recently, I had the opportunity to spend two days attending a conference on leadership called "Global Leadership Summit" (GLS). While I had heard of a few of the speakers, more than half of them I had not heard of. However, I have never learned so much at one time. I am going to make a short series of blog posts on leadership and what I learned through listening to others.
When you think of a "leader" or "leadership", what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Your boss? A President? A celebrity? A parent? A role model? When I think of a leader I think of my boss and my parents. My boss directs the business that I work for and my parents direct our household whether it's for my safety, to make sure I learn different things, to be a role model for me, and so on and so forth. While sitting GLS, Craig Groeschel, who is the Lead Pastor and founder of Life Church, stated "you do not need a title to be a leader." When I sat back and thought about it, it's such a simple concept and so obvious but yet when we think of leaders it's generally someone famous or someone that we work for/under. How true is it that you don't have to have a big and mighty title to be a leader? .... But what about you and me. What if we changed our thought process to be leaders on a daily basis? How could that change our lives and the world around us as we know it?
So if we're talking real, everyday life, what does leadership look like in our own lives? If you're a parent, you are a leader to your kids and your family. If you're a boss or a manager, you lead a team, store, or part of a company every day. But what about a leader as a friend? You can lead by example. Others are constantly watching what you do, whether they know you or not. I'm sure some of you have experienced a time in your life where you noticed someone leading or showing others how to accomplish a task/something of the sort and you've thought "Wow! They're doing something that matters." That could be YOU too!
Great leaders learn from viewing the foundation of the business: what is working and what isn't. This means talking to the front line and seeing what is going well and what could use some work. Leaders should be intentional about this because in my opinion it is very crucial in keeping the business going. Leaders will ask questions that could be tough to solve depending on the answers from the workers below them. A leader can learn from not only their up line but also their front line. The more communication done through leadership and front line employees, the better the business will run.
So what does all of this have to do with people like you and me? Let's change our outlook for everyday happenings to offer grace for mistakes and understanding in situations that we can't control. Show appreciation for people that are doing things well around you. Tell them.. Tell them... Tell them. People need to know they're appreciated. It's an instant mood booster in an otherwise crazy life. Show people that you are noticing what they're doing! Just imagine what good that would do in the world.
xoxo, Lakin
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