From Invisible to Influential
Have you ever felt stuck, knowing you have the potential to lead but feeling invisible in your workplace?
Perhaps you've felt overlooked in meetings, passed over for promotions, feeling like you lacked the title to make a real difference.
But everything changes when you realise there's a straightforward path to leadership that doesn’t rely on position or prestige. This can transform not just your career but also your relationships and self-esteem.
Why You Don’t Need a Title to Lead
Many believe that true leadership requires an official title or years of experience. Society often paints a picture of leaders as born, not made, and highlights stories of charismatic, powerful figures. These myths can be discouraging and misleading.
The truth is, leadership is about influence, service, and character—qualities you can develop right now.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. - John C. Maxwell
Effective leadership is accessible to anyone, regardless of their current role.
The biggest obstacle to instant leadership is believing the lie that you aren't one.
Challenge Your Inner Doubts
If you've ever questioned your leadership ability then congratulations, you're human.
It also means you have a decent level of self-awareness which in itself is a must-have trait for an instant leader.
So that's a double-win.
Some of the questions our inner voice attacks us with resurface during each transition of growth in our leadership. Others only occur once when we're dealing with a situation for the first time.
Here are some of the more common questions growing leaders face, along with answers to encourage you to keep going.
Q: What if I face criticism?
A: Embrace criticism as an opportunity to grow. Reflect on constructive feedback, and use it to sharpen your leadership, just as iron sharpens iron.
Analyse feedback objectively - separate helpful insights from mere negativity. This is easier said than done, as we're emotional beings and our feelings can get hurt. But instead of focusing on the feeling, focus on the content and use it as fuel.
Every single leader faces increased criticism as their platform and influence grows. It just comes with the territory. Church leaders, CEOs, politicians. Jesus, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln. Despite who they were and their impact on the world, they too received their fair share of criticism. (No, I am not putting Steve Jobs and Abraham Lincoln in the same category as Jesus, these are merely examples 😄).
Q: How do I lead people older or more experienced than me?
A: Respect and humility go a long way. Recognise their experience, involve them in decision-making, and express genuine appreciation for their insights.
They may have maturity and wisdom on their side, relative to where you are in life, but it will take your leadership to tap into that resource and direct it in a way that moves the task, project, or organisation forward.
Leadership isn’t about knowing everything; it’s about facilitating the success of the team.
Q: What if I fail?
A: Every leader fails. What matters is how you respond. Learn from each experience. You can learn from both success and failure, but you learn faster from failure, provided you take the time to extract the lesson.
Better still, remove failure from your vocabulary entirely:
There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.
Q: What if I face resistance from peers who see me as just a coworker and not a leader?
A: Demonstrate consistent, servant leadership qualities and maintain integrity. Show that you’re committed to mutual success, and gradually, respect and influence will follow.
You don't have to declare yourself a leader to influence. Neither do others have to acknowledge your leadership for you to lead them.
Leadership occurs in everyday interactions and conversations. Exercising your instant leadership means flying under the radar most of the time - meaning you are leading the people around you without them even knowing it.
Q: What if my efforts to lead go unnoticed?
A: Recognition is not the goal - the impact is. Ego wants recognition. Tame your pride. Better yet, work on eliminating it altogether. Continue to serve and influence, and in time, your contributions will be acknowledged.
"If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want." - Zig Ziglar
Q: How can I maintain my motivation when immediate results aren’t visible?
A: Stay focused on the long-term goals and the values you are upholding. Being consistent compounds over time. Find your motivation in the doing, and not the end goal.
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9
Find joy in the process of becoming and you'll never lose motivation. When you only enjoy the end result, you'll be miserable most of the time because most of the time, you won't be experiencing the result.
Q: How do I balance leadership with not overstepping my boundaries in a non-leadership role?
A: Communicate openly with your superiors and express your ideas and opinions through questions.
Questions direct focus and are an extremely powerful tool to lead others.
The skill is learning how to go beyond asking poor to average questions. Learning how to ask great questions unlocks doors to massive influence.
Overstepping is subjective and will be defined by the person who feels like their leadership territory is encroached upon. Whether you feel it's fair or unfair is irrelevant (which seems somewhat unfair but it is what it is). It's about how the other person perceives it.
This is why communicating your ideas, and leading through questions is so effective. Your influence flies under the radar undetected, leaving the other person's sense of authority/status intact.
Q: What if I make a significant mistake?
A: Acknowledge the error and take ownership. Making mistakes doesn't definitively lose trust. It's how you handle it that matters.
Nobody has ever gone through life without making a mistake (bar one 😄). Even the greatest leaders in history have put a foot wrong somewhere.
How you show up in the face of your mistakes affects how others respond to your leadership.
Use the experience as a learning point and build your resilience along the way.
Instant Leadership Starts with Instant Action
Every action you take can touch lives.
You don't wait to become a leader before taking action.
You act your way into stronger and more effective leadership.
As you overcome the misplaced seeds of doubt about your own leadership, expect to see not just professional growth, but personal fulfilment as well.
Doors will open, relationships will deepen, and through your actions, you'll inspire others to pursue their own path of leadership.
I want to leave you with a quote by John Quincy Adams that has inspired me throughout my leadership journey
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
With these words in mind, step forward with confidence and courage. Embrace your role as a leader today - no matter where you are, or what your job title says.