We Are All Leaders

Are you a leader?

Most people when asked that question say “no” and I understand why. In America, we have very specific ideas of who leaders are. They are the CEOs, Directors and Presidents of our country. Leaders, we believe, have the power, influence and name recognition to change the world. Most of us, feel like small potatoes by comparison.

However, I want to challenge us to redefine leadership. I want us to stop thinking of leadership as role reserved for only for the most powerful among us. I believe we are all leaders, and we all have the power to change the world.

To be clear, I did not always believe this. For much of my life, I agreed with the popular ideas that define leadership. But my father changed that. Growing up I didn’t think of my father as a leader. Yes, he owned a small business, but he was a mechanic with no college degree and only two employees. Yes, he volunteered in the town’s fire department and was even the Chief, but this was in a small town. In my mind, my father was an “average Joe,” who enjoyed fishing, cigars, and his Harley. Definitely not a leader in the traditional sense.

Then, one week after he turned 52, my father died, and everything I knew about him shifted. Hundreds of people came to his funeral. Many of them told me their own version of how my father had a powerful and positive impact on their life, career and town. Like how he was often the first person to welcome new, younger firefighters into the department and always made sure everyone felt like they were part of the team. That he loved his small town so much, he served on its first ever beautification committee to revitalize Main Street. That he organized long-distance fundraising rides with his motorcycle club to raise money for charity. That the two guys who worked for him thought of him not as a boss but as a mentor and a second father. Listening to these stories I realized that my father might have been an average Joe, but to these people, he was also a leader.

Obviously, my father’s passing changed my life. However, the most profound change was a shift in my beliefs. I realized that leaders are not defined by their job title or even how many people they manage. My father’s life taught me that we do not need wait until we are the CEOs, Directors or Presidents of the world to be a leader. Nor do we even need to leave our small town. While I do hope to someday have “Director” in my title, I also know there is a chance it may never happen. And yet, I believe with all my heart I have the power to change the world for the better, regardless of where my career takes me. All of us average Joes do. Because we are all leaders.