Creating Your Identity as a Leader: Authority’s Not Enough
Becoming a Leader is a matter of identity, not position.
Eric was about to scream. His latest plan somehow wasn’t moving forward. Once again, his employees left the planning meeting and went right back to what they were doing—as if his presentation hadn’t even happened. Eric didn’t realize that being “the boss” didn’t make him a leader. You can be a good CEO by mastering the job requirements. Leading people is not so clear cut. Leadership isn’t a job; it’s relationship. Without followers, you can’t lead. Cultivate the relationship beginning with yourself; create an identity of leadership.

Leave Your Follower Mentality Behind
The first step is deceptively simple: choose. You probably said “Yes” to your job as a conscious decision. Now decide you will begin leading. My friend Marla was running a research consortium with a board of six CEOs. She was looking to them for direction, while they were looking to her. One finally took her aside. “Marla, there is no CEO-initiation ceremony. You just need to step up and do it.” It is a simple, but necessary mental shift. Step up and do it.

Do it by accepting the responsibility of making things happen. Lots of things in his company bugged Mark. Marketing promised deliverables that operations couldn’t meet. His boss was abrasive. The lunchroom coffee was too cold. And poor Mark had to get his job done in spite of all these obstacles. He was a victim of a bad situation. But it was his decision to be the victim.

Mark’s big shift was deciding he would create his future, rather than respond to it, even if he didn’t have the formal authority to affect all the pieces. Mark identified each problem’s key players, educated them about the situation, and championed finding and implementing a solution. But nothing would have happened if Mark hadn’t decided that he had the power to change his world.

Think People, not Problems
Mark didn’t have the authority to change most of what he wanted changed. So his approach was to rally everyone else to reach his goals. Leading is all about getting things done through other people.

“Getting things done” means setting a direction. Choose your direction and start going. Make your goals clear to those around you, and use every opportunity to help people understand how their actions are bringing you closer or farther from the goal.

“Through other people” means inspiring others to join in your quest. Some people will buy into the direction—they become the community you’re leading. Others won’t agree, and that’s fine. You want to attract the people who share your vision, and you need to let others go their own way. Your people skills can make or break you here. If someone needs to go their own way, you want them leaving on an upbeat note.

Leadership is Seduction
Managers push. Managers use punishments and rewards, structure, process, deadlines, and milestones to get things done. And it all works, but it isn’t leadership. As a leader, think of yourself differently: you seduce. You tantalize with a vision of how the world could be...but only if people are willing and able to rise to the challenge. You motivate and energize. And while management skills (yours or others’) may be necessary to get the job done, your identity remains one of inspiration and guidance.

Action steps for developing an identity of leadership:
Adopt an attitude of making things happen. Identify three complaints you have about your home or work that you wish somebody else would take care of. Then be the somebody. Take charge, Make it happen.
Identify a problem you're trying to solve, or a goal you're trying to reach. Now ask yourself, "If I couldn't work on this goal myself, but had to get it done through other people, who would I choose? How would I motivate them to want to solve the problem?"
Change from a push to a pull approach. Take a task or project you’re currently using punishments and rewards to motivate, and spend some time learning why the people working on those projects get inspired to come to work in the morning. Develop and present a vision to them of the completed project that hooks into their natural motivations, rather than relying on pure reward/punishment.