Recognizing Leadership In Action Every Day

We have a sense about recognizing leadership when we see it. Think of someone whose leadership stands out for you. Consider those around you right now.  Is there someone you can identify whose leadership is noteworthy? With a specific person in mind, ask yourself: what is it that they have done or provided that has you name them as a leader?

It can be far easier to name those things for someone like Martin Luther King, Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, or whomever your favorite historical leader might be.  After all you can see the culmination of their life’s work and the legacy of their leadership in volumes of written works and even in the movies.

Recognizing leadership attributes and actions can also be easier for a high level positional leader in your place of business or in your community.  Perhaps that’s because the actions of those people tend to be more visible and the impact more readily seen and experienced over time.  Said another way, consider that their leadership stands out because we are expecting them to lead.

Recognizing Leadership Acts of Those Around You

Yet what about the people you encounter every day: Do you recognize acts of leadership by those around you?

I am referring to those who may not have positional power or authority, but who play a key role in your work or life.  They may even work for you or provide a service to you.

Did any of those people come to mind when you considered whose leadership stands out for you?

If so, I would love to hear about who you identified and why you identified them because you are the exception.  Most people, when asked to identify a leader tend to look “up” or into the past.

3 Questions To Build Your Capacity to Lead

Now I want to ask a different set of questions: In the last month or year…

1. Who have you seen speak up to make a difference for others?
2. Who has stepped up to take ownership of something and in doing so moved something that mattered forward?
3. Who has taken a stand that has challenged the status quo for the sake of a better future?

Consider that the people you identify in response to these questions are already leaders or are on their way to becoming a leader.  They might not even see themselves as leaders.  Often those who speak up, step up or stand up are not trying to be leaders.  They simply choose to act on behalf of others or a future because it is simply what they feel compelled to do.

Now who else stands out to you for their leadership?

The great thing about recognizing leadership in action is that it can help you and others to learn recognize more opportunities to be a leader by committing your own acts of leadership.

Great leaders become great by taking one act of leadership at a time, over time.

What acts of leadership can you recognize in those around you, including yourself?