The big idea

Here is a big idea to get the ball rolling.

There is only one essential trait that defines a leader: leaders have followers. This idea was articulated to me most clearly by my boss and mentor a few years ago, and I’ve since spent a lot of time thinking about what that deceptively simple statement means.

Leadership does not come from position, power, money, or fame. Certainly being a leader doesn’t guarantee those attributes, either, although leaders often find that they are blessed with at least some of them. You cannot be given leadership in your personal or professional life. You cannot be promoted into being a leader. You are leading if people are following you, or you aren’t leading.

Here’s some good news: you probably aren’t going to become a leader. (No, really. Just keep reading.) Your life and career don’t wait for milestones. What you are doing now—and what you will do next—is happening because of what you have done up to now. Your career doesn’t start when you finish your degree and you get your first job. It started years ago with your first chores around the house, and your first homework assignments in school.

You probably won’t become a leader, because you probably already are a leader. In your personal, professional, academic, or spiritual life, most likely others are watching what you do and say and following your example. Maybe you usually pick where your group of friends goes to dinner. Maybe you’re the first to buy the gadgets that your friends buy on your recommendation. Maybe you’re the one on your basketball team that always gives 110% and inspires your teammates to do the same.

Right now you are influencing the behavior, thoughts, and actions of someone around you. It’s a humbling thought.