It seems our third child, Jared, was born talking. He could speak in sentences by the time he was 18 months old. As we drove to the store he would be seated in his car seat between his older twin brother and sister. He would pipe up from the back, ‘Let’s sing!’ Then he would start a song and expect us all to join in. More than once he started and his mother and I joined in but his sister and brother didn’t. Being 5 years younger than them didn’t prevent him from stopping us and saying to them, ‘I said, sing!’ He said it with such authority that they would immediately start to sing.

Leadership and authority are not incumbent upon age or rank or position. Here he was at less than 2 years of age and those older would respond to his leadership, including his mother and I. He didn’t take a course on leadership nor did he know that he couldn’t exercise it because he was too young. He simply walked in it.

Leadership is influence upon others, hopefully to do right and wise things. It is available to us all. We may have more opportunities due to the nature of our careers than others but regardless we all have situations where it is necessary for us to lead. The biggest problem seems to be accepting that you are a leader. Many times people are in positions where by the very nature of the job they are understood to have authority. Even with authority conferred upon them many people don’t exercise it. They let those they are supposed to be influencing run right over top of them. Often they disqualify themselves by saying they are too young, too inexperienced, or too shy by nature, too intimidated or too concerned what will people think. What people think! When you don’t demonstrate the leadership that you should, they won’t think highly of you, in fact, they will probably make disparaging remarks about you. So what do you want? To have them criticize you for acting with leadership or criticize you for not doing what you should have done? Judgement and criticism are the inevitable result of being part of the human race. Why not be criticized for doing something you think is noble rather than doing nothing at all? As my friend, Mike Lim, said, why settle for normal, everyone does that, try being different and be exceptional.

Leadership courses can enrich your abilities, improve your communication, and create strategic thinking. But you still have to act. Only you can do that. Jared didn’t know that he was leading but he was. He knew what he wanted and he lead others into. Know what you want and, hey, if a two year old can do it, lead others into what they need.