There are appointed leaders. Those placed in leadership positions as part of their job description. There are then the actual leaders. Those that the team trust, respect and ‘follow’. Which of course may be an appointed leader or it may not. More than one person in the team can provide leadership. Perhaps you are one of them?

For example, your team has a new starter. Someone on your team voluntarily makes the person feel at home and offers to give them a tour of the office. This is an example of leadership.

Leadership is not a status or position but a style of interacting with people:

“… effective leadership is a style of interacting with people, rather than a specific inherited personality trait” – Book: Understand Psychology

The leadership styles of anyone in the team, not just the appointed leaders, has a large
impact on the happiness of your team.

Leaders do not have to be ‘legendary’ in the way that Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King are. Leadership can be very humble and understated yet still be very powerful. What’s more, we can all contribute and provide leadership in our own unique ways.

What leadership qualities are you going to engage in today? Or to put the question another way, how are you going to interact with people today?

In answer to the question, “Who are your leaders?” your answer may be a single person or many. If one or more of those people has some allocated authority then that’s a bonus but it is not a prerequisite.