Everyday Leadership

Here's a compelling possibility. What if every day leaders make as big a difference as well known leaders. Have you ever considered what you might have in common with admired leaders who seem larger than life? Are you a person of strong ethics and integrity? Then you may be an every day Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Do you find that you are open to considering unconventional ideas? This is the attribute that made Andy Grove, CEO of Intel Corporation an industry leader. If you are the kind of every day leader who is able to follow your instincts and strive at all times to just be yourself. Then, you might be like Oprah Winfrey, CEO of Harpo, Inc.

Please don't be confused. These people have done amazing things in the world and have in some way impacted every one of us. They are to be admired. Even more, they are to be learned from. Is there an attribute of a great leader that really draws you in? What is that attribute? Is it Courage? Integrity? Intelligence? Perspective?. If you can see it in them. You have it in you. That's the beauty of it. Whatever you admire about someone else is an attribute you possess. It may be hidden or not yet developed, but if you look very closely and observe your actions in every day life, you will find that you act out of these attributes.

What disturbs me today is how so many of us are giving our power and our identity up to the seemingly famous. Mostly Hollywood famous. And yet, there are so many moments in each of our days where we are demonstrating uncommon courage, acting on out-of-the-box ideas, trusting our guts and simply trying to be our best.

If at the end of each day we could stop and acknowledge our important acts of everyday leadership, we could look closer to home for our self worth and give less of our power away to any one else.