People with Leadership Potential don't need a TITLE to Lead

by John C. Maxwell

If I had to identify the number one misconception people have about leadership, it would be the belief that leadership comes simply from having a position or title. But nothing could be further from the truth. You don't need to possess a position at the top of your group, department, division, or organization in order to lead. If you think you do, then you have bought into a position myth.

A place at the top will not automatically make anyone a leader. The Law of Influence in _The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership_ states it clearly: "The true measure of leadership is influence- nothing more, nothing less. "

...When people who buy into this myth are identified as potential leaders and put on a team, they are very uncomfortable if they have not been given some kind of title or position that labels them as leaders in the eyes of other team members. Instead of working to build relationships with others on the team and gain influence naturally, they wait for the positional leader to invest them with authority and give them a title. After a while, they become more and more unhappy, until they finally decide to try     another team, another leader, or another organization.

People who follow this pattern don't understand how effective leadership works.

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This article is adapted from Go for Gold by John C. Maxwell (Tuesday, Week 10).

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