There are as many definitions of leadership as there are people who want to take your money to convince you they have figured leadership out. My favorite definition comes from John Maxwell, it is as simple as it is true – Leadership is influence. That’s it, nothing more nothing less, just influence. With that definition in mind think about who the most powerful leader might be at your agency. Who are the influencers of culture and performance?
It’s not about the rank
I am not asking you who has the most rank, who is seen on TV, or who signs the policies into action. Those tasks or assignments tend to be based on rank or organizational position. There is nothing wrong with rank and structure, it’s part of who we are and how we allocate work. However, rank and position do not equal leadership or leadership ability.
In your world of work, who has the most influence over day-to-day operations? Who is the provider of crucial information and skills that keep people safe and successful in their tasks? Who are the people who influence how you do what it is that you do?
When I ask myself who has been a driving influence in how I do what I do, how my career path has been forged, and where my values come from, the answer always comes back to trainers. The most prominent influencers who made me who I am were driving instructors, firearms instructors, officer safety and use of force specialists, front-line supervisors – the list goes on.
None of the influencers of my day-to-day skill set or leadership style have ever been from the top of the organizational tree. The truly impactful leaders are the ones who influence the function of your real world of work, and they rarely have rank. They are the people who create and sustain teams with high-performing collaborative cultures. I tell you that to tell you this – do not confuse your rank (or lack of it) with your own leadership potential or your influence on others. Some of the most impactful leaders in your organization have no rank or assigned authority. The list of potential leaders surrounding you may be endless, but here are some guarantees:
- If you are a trainer, you are a leader.
- If your peers seek you out for guidance personally or professionally, you are a leader.
- If supervisors call on you for specialist knowledge or skills, you are a leader.
- If people look to you for the direction the team takes on a new idea, you are a leader.
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
If you’re just realizing that I have assigned you a great deal of responsibility and none of the authority or a pay incentive, I am not sorry. It is a significant privilege to lead others, but you also have a tremendous obligation to do it well. As Ben Parker once wisely said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Now that you know you’re a leader, here are some things to keep in mind associated with that powerfully influential role:
Authenticity is your leadership style: Authenticity is your leadership style. Be who you are, do not try to be someone you are not. We can all admire traits we see in others and there is nothing wrong with emulating and choosing to improve ourselves, but it must be genuine. Someone is always watching; you cannot fake this. Faking it won’t work, and people will lose faith and trust in you. We do not all have to be the same, it takes an eclectic mix of personalities, skills and traits to build high-performing collaborative teams.
School is in every minute of every day, what curriculum are you using? There are formal settings where we expect training to occur, things like the academy, in-service events and the ever-increasing list of things HR deems mandatory. These training programs should have a plan, measurable outcomes and a time allocated for the process to begin and end – but teaching also happens informally and without a schedule. Every one of us has learned something through simply observing, there was no curriculum, test, or certificate – we saw something being done and we decided to do it too. If you are in a position of influence, you are the teacher. There is no schedule set for when people are attending your school of influence. School is in every minute of every day, what curriculum are you using?
One day someone is going to emulate you – what do you want that to look like? You are a walking and talking mission statement and set of values. You have little to no control over who chooses to follow you, but you do get to choose how you model behavior. There is no greater compliment in life than when you see someone do something you taught them – whether you meant to teach them or not. That teaching moment you see mirrored in someone else’s conduct will either fill you with pride or dread. This concept can be tough because we’re all just humans, we all have moments of weakness or frustration, but ask yourself if the behavior you send out into the world is something you want to see ripple into infinity as an example of who you are. One day someone is going to emulate you – what do you want that to look like? There are a lot of things you can’t control; one of the few things you can control is how you behave and the example you set for others.
Leadership has nothing to do with rank and everything to do with influence, wield it wisely.
NEXT: 8 integral leadership qualities necessary for today’s workplace