If You Didn’t Have Leader Or Manager In Your Title, Would People Still Follow You?

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” John Maxwell

Last week I was at an appointment, and in the waiting room, I overheard a woman talking to one of her colleagues. The woman appeared to be extremely frustrated at one of her employees. It seemed that this particular employee was not working up to the standard that she set forth. The manager cited several reasons why the employee needed to be fired; “He’s just not motivated. He complains all the time. I don’t think he even wants to be here. He doesn’t get it! It’s not the way we do things here. He’s been here for 2 months and I don’t have time to babysit.” By the way, I couldn’t help but listen to this conversation, since the manager and her colleague were sitting right next to me speaking in a tone that was in no way muted. Anyway, as I listened to the conversation, I keyed into the tone of this manager, and she sounded so angry, bitter, and matter of fact. I couldn’t help but wonder what the other side of the story was. I was curious how the employee felt and what his perceptions were. I wondered if the manager’s tone was familiar to him. I wondered if she took any accountability in the situation.

 Oftentimes, managers and executives are under pressure, and sometimes they can lack the skills to deal with developing their employees. Leadership is not about a title. Leadership is about influence. Influencing up the chain, and also down the chain. Leaders can exist at all levels in all relationships – from personal to professional. You don’t need an advanced degree to be a leader, each and every one of us has the ability to lead.  If people are not willing to follow you, without a title, you may be a manager, you may be an executive, but at the present moment, you’re not a leader.

 In the situation I described earlier, I don’t have the full story, but what I do know, is that energy is everything. According to iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching), leadership is the ability to inspire and motivate others, as well as yourself, to take life-changing action to create extraordinary results that last. Each and every one of us is a leader. How well you lead depends on your level of energetic profile.

iPEC explains that there are two types of energy that make up our energetic profile; anabolic and catabolic. Increased levels of anabolic energy correlate with more effective leadership. Anabolic energy is uplifting, and whether it’s at work or at home, great leaders build relationships, teams, families, and businesses. Catabolic energy, on the other hand, is draining and destructive. Catabolic leaders destroy and break down things around them.

A catabolic leader manages by directing and controlling. They tell people what to do, and how to do it. The catabolic leader also uses controls others by keeping them in positions of less power and then in turn, complains that “No one is motivated to work,” and “If I need to get something done, I need to do it myself” 

Anabolic leaders lead and inspire. They don’t control and coerce people, but instead, inspires them by words, action, and by personal example. The more anabolic the leader, the greater the potential for authentic leadership and followership. 

One of iPEC’s foundation principles states that “Each of us is each greater and wiser than we appear to be.” Anabolic leaders truly believe this and because of that, they don’t operate by telling people what to do. They realize that everyone has their own answers and gifts. 

If you want to know what type of leader you are, whether you are an executive, a parent, a nurse or a friend, invite someone to shadow you for a week. At the end of the experience, ask that person what reflection did they take away from your leadership? By the way you showed up, what core values do you exhibit as a leader in your life? What are the values you rely on when making a decision. Do those answers align with your intentions? 

This week, as you interact with those around you, think about how much more of a leader you could be if you led and inspired, instead of managed. Remember good leaders live out their values and inspire, great leaders create opportunities to live out their values while inspiring others. If you’re struggling in your leadership or struggling to deal with a catabolic leader, let’s connect and make the shift so you can chose where you can use more anabolic energy and lead with greatness.