Leadership is one of the most misunderstood words in the professional world. Folks throw it around like seasoning at a family cookout. Somebody gets promoted, “They’re a leader.” Somebody talks loud in meetings, “Natural leader.”
Somebody has a title, a corner office, or a badge that says Director, and suddenly everybody acts like leadership has arrived riding in on a white horse with a LinkedIn profile.
But as John C. Maxwell reminds us in Developing the Leader Within You 2.0, leadership is not position. Leadership is influence. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Leadership is influence
Pause there for a second, because for many leaders of color, that definition can feel both liberating and uncomfortable at the same time. We were raised professionally to believe leadership would finally arrive once we worked hard enough, waited long enough, and earned the right title.
But influence is built in the room long before a title confirms it. It is built through trust, clarity, courage, and the willingness to make people around you better.