Do you aspire to lead—to make a positive difference in the world? If so, don’t worry about whether or not you have a title. Although much is sometimes made of a person’s title, the reality is that little actual power exists in a title alone.
An article in The New York Times described a corporate communications officer at Amtrak whose title had been changed from “Vice President” to “Chief.” But the title change wasn’t the result of a promotion. When the company reduced the number of VPs from 85 to 10, he was given the new title to make him feel better – he was one of the select few in the company to hold such a position. What kind of impact did the new title have on the people under him? “It meant absolutely nothing,” the new Chief acknowledged.
In fact, when it comes to true power, titles are frequently misleading. Even at the level of CEO, a company head who is disliked can be all but ignored by those under her or him, while a respected employee with a lower title can wield significant influence on what others do, and how quickly they do it.
It’s impossible for a title or an organizational chart to reflect all the many people who act as leaders, or exert leadership throughout the organization. Such people are “non-titled leaders.” They may or may not have direct responsibility to lead others, yet every day they influence and lead those around them.
The bottom line is that influence and inspiration come from the person, not the position.
Leadership Large and Small
Don’t suffer from the misconception that leadership is about large, sweeping acts of history: Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, Churchill and his “Blood, Sweat and Tears” speech during the Second World War.
Yes, those history-making events certainly marked extraordinary acts of leadership and courage. But what we don’t always realize is that each of our daily actions and efforts have significant impact as well. Rosa Parks had no idea of the impact she would have on history when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Yet her actions and courage changed the course of our nation’s history.
When you do your job—any job—with initiative and determination to make a positive difference, you become a leader.
Who Is a Leader?
People who lead – whether or not they have a title – strive to make things better.
We all want to have an impact on the world around us. No one wants to be blown sideways in life by forces they can’t control. Part of growing up is figuring out how much influence we have over our environment, from parents to friends, from school to careers.
Our choices in life have a huge impact on the kind of education we get, the kinds of jobs we land, the relationships we develop and become involved in, and the quality of the lives we live. The desire to influence the world around us is what real leadership is all about.
Leaders Change the World
When you first look in the mirror in the morning, do you say to yourself, “Today, I’m going to change the world?”
Probably not.
And yet you do change history every day, not just for yourself but for your family, community, coworkers, customers, employer and more. Some of the ways you affect change are significant (landing a huge account, raising money for charity, helping to coach a youth soccer team). Others are small (letting someone merge ahead of us in traffic, taking an interest in a colleague who needs someone to listen). But none are trivial.
That doesn’t mean that simple acts of courtesy in and of themselves constitute acts of leadership. Yet leaders, untitled or otherwise, realize the extraordinary impact we can have on others and the world around us. They consciously choose to exercise their abilities, skills, and knowledge to help make a difference.
Leaders Invite Others Into Greatness
Sometimes being “good” isn’t aiming high enough. As Erwin McManus, the pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles said, “We spend so much time worrying about our kids being good—not breaking the rules, getting into trouble and basically behaving—that we often forget to invite them to be great.”
True leadership is “an invitation to greatness that we extend to others.” There is a catch, though. You can’t give what you don’t have and you can’t extend an invitation you haven’t already accepted.
Leaders Increase ROI
You know that in accounting the acronym ROI stands for “return on investment.” Leaders know that to increase that kind of ROI you must first increase a different ROI: relationships, outcomes and improvements.
Relationships
A disgruntled customer had it out with the owner of an insurance company. It was obvious that the owner didn’t value him or his business so he decided to take his business elsewhere.
Before he could, however, an accident occurred that required him to file a claim. He begrudgingly called the company and was connected with a customer service representative named Theresa. He explained both his problem and his dissatisfaction with the company.
“I’m relatively new,” said Theresa, “so I don’t know everything that happened between you and the owner. But I promise that I’ll take care of you and make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”
Theresa won the customer back and he kept his business with her firm. What the owner was unable to accomplish, an untitled leader named Theresa was able to do by repairing the damaged relationship.
Outcomes
A business traveler was staying in the Omni Hotel in San Diego when he discovered he didn’t have any collar stays for his dress shirts. About to go into an important meeting, he didn’t have time to go shopping for this common but sometimes difficult-to-find item.
He expressed his dilemma to a hotel employee who, after suggesting several alternatives, came up with the perfect solution. Since the plastic cards used as room keys are approximately the same thickness as a collar stay, the innovative employee cut up a room key card to create custom collar stays for him.
Of course the guest was delighted – both with the solution to his problem and the ingenuity of this non-titled leader. That small improvement made an enormous difference to my friend’s experience.
Improvements
Did you know that the person who suggested the idea of a store greeter, which has become such an important part of the Wal-Mart brand, wasn’t a manager; he was a cashier—a non-titled leader.
Here is another example of how a small improvement can make an enormous difference. In the late 1980’s in Portland, Jay Sorensen ordered a cup of coffee at a drive-through. Although wrapped in a napkin, it was still hot enough to cause him to drop it in his lap. In the early 90’s, as the Starbucks-driven coffee craze was taking off, he watched over and over again at the way customers carefully held their coffee cups, even when “double-cupped,” because the beverages were so hot. It’s a phenomenon many of us experienced, a source of irritation we endured but never thought to address. Using supplies at home, Jay designed a cardboard sleeve to solve the problem. It became known as a Java Jacket and the company he formed to make them today sells about 700 million units annually. Small improvements lead to big results.
If you really want to lead, and make a bigger and better difference in the world, focus on increasing ROI: building better relationships, enriching outcomes and suggesting and implementing improvements.
Lead with or without a Title
Genuine leaders make things better not just for themselves, but for others, whether or not their contribution results in financial reward or popular recognition. A few leaders achieve both fame and greatness, and we read about them in history books. But most of the people we think of as leaders are untitled people like those mentioned above; they achieve greatness by working quietly in their organizations and communities, in their own lives and by helping those around them.
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Mark Sanborn is an award winning speaker and Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University. For more information about his work, visit www.marksanborn.com.
