“Are you a leader?”

Many people are slightly bewildered by the question, and there’s a reason. The question assumes that leadership is a quality, a permanent state, a part of one’s identity. Many popular leadership books describe the presumed qualities of leaders – such as charisma, vision, and decision-making ability – and draw their examples from leadership titans in business or the military.  But even though relatively few people comfortably identify themselves as leaders in this sense, it doesn’t feel right to reply, “No, I’m not a leader.”

The mistake this approach to leadership makes is precisely in its assumption that leadership is a quality that is innate or can be developed, but is in any case permanent. But lead is a verb, and leading – which I define as using one’s influence to get others to do what you want them to do in pursuit of some goal – is not a fixed quality but something many of us do some of the time but isn’t the definition of who we are.

In education we might lead to a greater or lesser extent when teaching, chairing a committee, spearheading a project, dealing with a problem or crisis, or addressing one’s school or department. No matter what our job is, leadership arises when it’s needed, and recedes when it isn’t. It isn’t in the ‘on’ position all the time, and those around us would find us tiresome if we went around trying to lead them constantly. As Daniel Pink pointed out in his book Drive, adults are motivated when they can exercise autonomy, that is, do things on their own, making decisions for themselves. While the work of individuals may be inspired by one or more leadership moments, it’s time for the person leading to step back when individuals are working autonomously.

Leadership, then, isn’t a matter of one’s place in an organizational hierarchy or level of authority. Someone may be vested with formal authority in an organization, but may either be ineffective at influencing others or rely on coercion to get others to do things. Coercion – ordering people – is not true leadership, since it relies on the power to threaten. When you are truly leading,  others are following you because they choose to. 

So, perhaps the best answer most of us should give to the question, “Are you a leader?” is “Some of the time.” Which means that leadership has a place – but not the place – in your role profile. 

Your Role Profile

In our work, most of us are playing a role that can be labeled in one of the following ways – or some combination of them – at different times of the day and depending on the demands of the task:

Collaborator: working with others
Soloist: working alone
Enforcer: making others comply with procedures and rules
Conformer: following procedures and rules
Follower: willingly doing what someone else asks
Leader: influencing others to do what you want them to do

You can stop any time of the day and ask which of these roles you are playing. And you can use this categorization of roles for your personal and career development. Make a radar chart like the one below (it’s easy to do in Excel or Google Sheets) and plot your current role profile – the extent to which you are playing each role in your current position – and use it to set goals. Are you spending too much of your time in Individual Contributor mode? Set a goal to work on more projects with others. Too long following procedures and rules in the Conformer role? Seek greater responsibility. Is your Leader setting too low? Aim to take the lead more in the coming months by taking the initiative or being the first to do something and bringing others with you. Try to shape your role profile so that it meets your aspirations. Even better, do this with the person you report to and get support with your professional development. Think about how much you want to be leading, and work toward it. 

Remember, leading is not a permanent state. Leading (or not) depends on the demands of the moment, your own and your colleagues’ capabilities, and your relationship with those around you. Anyone can find opportunities to lead. You’ll find yours.