It’s true. Everyone can be a leader. Everyone can demonstrate leadership. It doesn’t matter what level you are at in your organisation or where you are located.

I often work as a coach with people located in Townsville in North Queensland, Australia. It’s a small city of approximately 175,000 people. While it’s a lovely town located on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, job prospects are… tight to say the least. People generally work in smaller organisations, at lower levels for lower pay than people who live in, say Sydney or Canberra.

Does that mean there are less leaders here in Townsville? No. Emphatically, no.

Leadership has nothing to do with role. It has nothing to do with pay or location. Being a leader has everything to do with the type of person you are and how you behave in the workplace.

Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Generally, it accepted that leadership is formal – that is you have a specific role that relates to leading others in the organisation or it is informal.

Informal leaders lead others in the organisation despite not having people report to them.

What does this mean for you?

You do not have to wait until the organisation gives a formal leadership role to be a leader. Naturally you can’t make decisions for your organisation that are not appropriate to your role but you can influence others, support the bigger picture, introduce new ideas, look for efficiencies and continuous improvements.

Developing your skills as a leader at any level, can lead to better outcomes at work and perhaps promotion and better roles in the future.

Want to read more? This Forbes article talks about some types of informal leadership.

Want to having a coaching session about how you can develop your skills as a leader regardless of your role? Contact me.