Finding ways to be free

It’s time for reflection again.

First off, thank you to everyone reading this. It’s been over a year since I start writing publicly about leadership and sharing perspectives from leaders I admire. Since then, more than a thousand of you have signed up to hear more, dozens of you have attended workshops or talks I’ve put on, and I’ve heard from more people than I can count who feel energized by the idea that leadership isn’t the same as management or hierarchy. That’s amazing, and I’m celebrating that today.

So why is this idea energizing so many of us?

Thankfully, I don’t have to make guesses about that. Many of you have told me your reasons. Here are some of my favorites.

It helps us feel seen and celebrated. There are so many amazing leaders who don’t want to become people managers in a professional environment. This doesn’t make their leadership any less valid or worthwhile. Teammates, business owners, volunteers, parents, and friends can all be leaders if you look up to them and want to follow them. They influence the people around them to make better decisions. They’re often humble, thoughtful, caring, and inspiring—which is a lot more than I can say for most CEOs. If this is you, know that you are a leader and that your leadership is worth celebrating.

It gives a voice to what we’re experiencing. A large number of you have shared about how the concept of “leadership” is used as a gatekeeping mechanism in your lives. It makes sense. There are a finite number of management roles. The whole idea of hierarchy means fewer people at the top have power over a larger number of people at the bottom. But we don’t have to accept this. There’s no shortage of great leaders—just a shortage of how much we recognize them. If no one has taken the time to recognize your leadership skills and abilities recently, I’d encourage you to take some time to recognize them in yourself. They are there. You are making a difference.

It offers us freedom. So much of what happens to us in our careers and in our lives is outside our control. We are often forced to operate in hierarchical systems, filled with injustice and exclusion. Recent events have shown us how easy it is to have your dream job one moment, then be reeling from the shock of losing it the next. None of this is fair to the people who are living it. Corporate layoffs have nothing to do with your performance. Looking at leadership this way gives us the freedom to recognize people for who they are and how they show up, not where they work or how much money they make. It frees us to see ourselves as valuable outside of the worth these systems place on us. You are valuable and your ability to be a leader has nothing to do with whoever happens to be helping you pay your bills.

I’m excited for what’s ahead with this project, and I hope you are too. I recently took a break for a few months as I worked through some health problems and personal challenges, but in the months ahead you can expect more writing about leadership in this space, more perspectives from people I admire, and more chances for us all to learn and grow together.

What would you like to see next in this space? Did you miss the workshops and were hoping we’d offer more? Have you been exploring these ideas in your own life?



I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply and say hello.