Blog Post

Leadership is influence. I have believed this ever since I read those words in one of John C. Maxwell's books. Recently, I was reminded of this by Dr. Ron RIzzo of the Ferris State University Charter School Office when he posed a question to me during a session I was facilitating on strategic planning.

At the conclusion of a session on the System & Soul strategic planning framework, Dr. RIzzo asked my advice on how someone outside of the formal hierarchy of leadership might influence leaders to consider such an initiative. Thankfully, this has been on my mind for quite some time in a macro sense, so I had little trouble with my answer in a micro context. "Lead where you are," I replied.

Choosing to lead where you are is not quite as easy as it sounds. It begins with the acceptance of one basic premise regarding leadership, but then the hard part starts and that is primarily internal. The hard stuff is always internal.

In order to lead where you are, you must first accept the premise that leadership does not require a title. In fact, there is a relatively short book on this very subject by Mark Sanborn, You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere Can Make a Positive Difference. You can learn more at marksanborn.com.

The next step begins with leading yourself. In effect, it is disciplining yourself and behaving like a leader before being granted the formal title generally associated with a leadership position. This includes regulating your emotions, doing what you say you will do, not complaining, etc. Moreover, you want to be inwardly sound and others focused, which are terms popularized by Tim Spiker in his book, The Only Leaders Worth Following. You can learn more about him and his work at theaperio.com/tim-spiker.

Leading where you are is a commitment, and not necessarily for the faint of heart. You will open yourself to criticism and critique. Do it anyway. It makes a positive difference. The authors, and the books, mentioned above will help you on your journey. Best of luck!

Chris Matheson, CEO

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