We Do Need Leaders

The Prime Minister can be a leader right now. A child in year 3 at school can be a leader right now. 

Perhaps you have read that short list, as I have read that list over my life, and asked, “I get how the Prime Minister is a leader, but not the kid in year 3?” 

The short answer is, of course they are both leaders, because all a leader has to do is see a need, gather some people and solve that need. It could be the need for the Prime Minister to solve a housing crisis. It could be the need for a year 3 child to bring some beauty to their street by growing a garden of flowers. At its core, being a leader is simple.

We need these leaders.

We don’t need title holders or status chasers or more education in order to be a leader.

But leadership often gets confused with title and status and level of education. And many of us, including myself, have waited for the title or status or education before feeling like we had permission to lead. But this mindset needs recalibration. 

So, here is the first needed recalibration: You don’t need a title to lead. Start with a cause. A title is the result of leading; it comes after you have led something. A title does not make a leader or give you a cause. Chase a cause, not a title.

Here is the second recalibration: You don’t actually need leadership education to lead. Start with passion. You do need a passion for what you are leading, and that passion might drive you to find the skills and education you need to lead. Start with passion and what you feel compelled to do in the world, and the skills will take care of themselves.

And here is the third recalibration: a leader doesn’t chase status. Start with serving others. Leaders find ways to serve the people around them with humility. They have boundaries. They need resources to make things happen. But they prioritise the people they serve over their own interests. 

We need leaders with these qualities. And a willingness to just lead. The rest will take care of itself.