How to Encourage Everyone to Be a Leader
Leadership is too important to leave to Management.
“Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves,” according to Stephen Covey. If leadership is encouraging people see their own potential, challenging the status quo of today, and helping others achieve a better vision for tomorrow, you don’t need to be a manager to be a leader.
The problems that most of our companies face today are built on a lack of leadership from the ground level. They’re the result of slow, bureaucratic processes that promote hierarchy over agility. As Albert Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Our problems won’t be solved by the leadership of a few people — especially those at the top of the organization.
Instead, we need to encourage everyone to be leaders. Which is good, because you’re already a leader.
If you’ve ever helped someone see their potential to make a difference, then you’re a leader. If you’ve ever stood up to the existing system when something didn’t seem right, then you’re a leader. And if you’ve ever sacrificed to help the greater good, solved a problem in a new way, or initiated steps to strengthen a…
