Where Do You Look for Leadership?

Close your eyes for a moment and bring a picture to mind of the leaders who have helped to shape you into who you are.

Did you picture someone you work (or worked) for or with? Was it a family member, pastor, coach, teacher, friend or public figure?

And what is it about that person you pictured that makes him or her a great leader in your life? Is it the obvious, like integrity, honesty, character, compassion, empathy, intelligence, vision, fairness or relatability?

Is it about how he or she motivates you to do well in work or life? Does he or she inspire you to grow, to serve, to apply yourself and leverage your passions and skills?

We could debate our individual definitions of leadership and what a leader really is for hours, and in the end, we’d all be right. Because one thing we can agree on is this: leadership inspires followership. We know leadership when we see it because it inspires us to follow.

That said, in what direction do you look when the conversation turns to leaders in your life?

Almost instinctively, we look outward to our work or life communities to identify leaders. And, we typically look upward in the business hierarchy, a family tree or on a national or international stage for the leaders we admire most.

We look up because we think leaders are long-tenured. They’ve been around the block and perhaps learned more lessons than we have. We look up because that’s where we expect the leadership pool to be. At least that’s the way people in good companies look for leadership.

But if we only look upward or outward, we might miss the leadership skills demonstrated all around us in the least likely places. For instance, I’ve learned a lot about leadership from my kids and grandkids, from the people who’ve worked for me and alongside me through the years, and I’ve learned a great deal from people who didn’t know they were leading in the moment. I noticed, and I wanted to follow. That’s leadership.

But I want to suggest another place to look for leadership.

Look in the mirror.

Looking up or out keeps us from seeing the leader inside every one of us. We all have leadership skills. As I mentioned, people in good companies look elsewhere for leaders.

People in great companies recognize that leadership is a responsibility of everyone. Every person. Every position. Every member of a great team.

Great leaders are always growing. They never stop being a student, they’re eager to learn new things and they’re rarely afraid to try new things or pursue better ideas. But not everyone aspires to the C-suite, a higher position or to greater responsibility. No matter your ambition, you want to be the best version of yourself you can be.

Before leaders can lead others, they must excel at leading themselves. Leaders of an organization have many opportunities to grow in the leadership decisions they must make every day, and they naturally have more learning opportunities than others, good and bad, in making those decisions.

Each of us must prepare for leadership, whether we aspire to lead a bigger part of the company, or to be a better leader in our community, our family, and of ourselves.

I challenge you to find ways to play offense in your personal growth as a leader and look in the mirror on occasion to recognize your growth. Here’s a Top Five list of things you can do to keep moving forward in your development:

1. Read the right stuff:

Try reading “The Self-Aware Leader” by John Maxwell or “The Way of the Shepherd” by Kevin Leman.

2. No time to read?

Listen to podcasts, audio books or follow great leaders on social media. Try following “Find Your WHY” by Simon Sinek or listen to “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown. Or listen to the books listed above during your commute.

3. Be inquisitive, interview great leaders

Remember the leader you pictured at the beginning of this story? If you still have him or her in your life, ask them how they became the leader you admire.

4. Review your calendar…are you growing?

If your time isn’t spent on healthy growth-building endeavors, what can you cut so you can do more of what’s suggested above?

5. Leverage AI learning, journal, quiet time

Schedule time with yourself (I know, easier said than done). In that time, use AI to answer questions about banking terminology and acronyms you hear, industry history and direction, and what makes successful leaders. Write down your answers. Think, pray or meditate on them. Do it regularly.

Leadership isn’t about a title or a position.

It isn’t about depth or length of experience, authority or prestige, and it isn’t just about the people who lead us.

It’s a responsibility we ALL share.

Take it upon yourself to always be growing…until the next time you’re asked to picture a leader and you’re able to look in the mirror.