I know that somewhere on this site I wrote that "we are all leaders." The skeptics out there might be saying that we aren't, but I'm not talking about managers, or bosses, I'm talking about leaders. We are all leaders, and for that matter, we are all followers too. We all alternate between leading, and following, based on our skills and circumstance.
The question is, how can we foster leadership? Not everyone can be the boss, so what does it take to make everyone a leader? We have a generation of Baby-Boomers sitting on the tops of organizations, ready to retire. They are the bosses, but they had better have leaders under them ready to take over. So, we need to foster that leadership, and one easy way is just to provide a little space, and flexibility. We all have core duties, which we need to complete, but if there is a little bit of wiggle room, then there is enough room to innovate. Look at the Google's of the world, Google leaves a lot more than a little wiggle room, and there is innovation everywhere. I'm not saying we all need to do it like Google, but if we give people room to imagine, and take initiative, we are giving them room to become leaders.
Its not just ideas, and innovation, but practice. Weeks of intensive offsite leadership training often cannot replicate a little practical experience*. Let them take their initiative, and when their idea becomes bigger than themselves, let them lead — give them some resources, and let them run with it.
You don't need to be the boss to lead a project, you don't even need formal authority. All you need, is a little wiggle room, and a team to back you up — a team for you to back up.
Question for the crowds: What would help you to lead, or to become a better leader in your organization? Or your life?
-Alexander Cook MEng, MBA, PEng, PMP
*Through the use of the Leadership Check Ride assessment, Leading in the Fast Lane creates conditions that closely mimic practical experience, while providing a safe environment for learning.