Leading From Any Seat?

It’s a new era with a new concept – leading from any seat. Organizations have started to build leaders within all areas of an organization regardless of their title. This is not necessarily the norm for organizations, but we have started to see a shift and organizations are starting to make the change. This is a great change for those wanting to be a leader. However, if you want to become a leader regardless of your title where do you start?

I recently read an article titled “Managing Oneself” by Peter F. Drucker and a light bulb went off, one of those ‘aha’ moments. For this concept to apply to us as employees; we too must take responsibility and accountability of oneself. Yes, there is a shift in organizations to empower employees to lead from any seat and providing employees with opportunities regardless of title, but if I want to become a leader I need start leading myself and start leading my career.

“…with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today aren’t managing their employees’ careers; knowledge workers must, effectively, be their own chief executive officers. It’s up to you to carve out your place…” says Drucker.

If you wanted to manage oneself and lead from any seat, where do you start? Start simple, think differently, and try these out:

• Read the article Managing Oneself by Peter F. Drucker
• Find newsletters and articles on leadership development
  • Check out Harvard Business Review
• Identify your strengths
  • Read Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath

Courtney Wishlow
Conexus Credit Union