An Opportunity to Lead Within Your Family

I believe everyone has opportunities to lead.

I feel organizations are stronger when the teammates most suited to lead in a circumstance feel the responsibility and the freedom to act.

My experience is the right person to lead can often be someone who is not the “formal” leader but the expert who deals with the issue at hand day by day.

I was listening to Jim Kouzes, a respected leadership expert, talk about the topic. His method of studying leadership is to interview people and ask them about their best ever organizational experience. He and his partner have identified a number of factors that lead to such success. They are described in a great book called The Leadership Challenge.

One of the questions asked is: Who is the best leader you ever encountered? Can be a coach, a teacher, a boss, a preacher or a family member.

The overwhelming answer to that question is a family member.

While that doesn’t necessarily surprise me, it did cause me to reflect.

This principle of accepting the responsibility and having the freedom to lead as the situation calls for it is essential to a healthy company, community and nation because while we all may not be captains, bosses, supervisors, elders and troop leaders, almost every one of us are in families.

Based on the data, as a family member, you will have your greatest opportunity to lead in your lifetime.

Just let that resonate and rest with you a few minutes.

Who in your family is looking to you to lead?

Have you embraced the role and are you aware of its importance?

Are you actively engaged in becoming a better leader for the sake of your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters?

How responsible do you feel to step up that level of engagement?

What can be the possibility if you do?

Or, what will be the cost if you don’t?

Leading where you stand moves the world.