Members of teams often struggle with the word “leadership” and who that term applies to. They seem to think that because they aren’t The Leader of the team, they aren’t a leader at all. There’s confusion about what leadership really is, and how it’s different from having authority. Leadership vs. Authority. Let’s differentiate the two.
Leadership vs. Authority
Leadership is a set of skills, behaviors, and qualities that allows someone to guide and influence others. It’s not dependent on a title or specific role. It’s a choice.
Authority, on the other hand, is the legitimate power to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. And impose consequences when that doesn’t happen. It absolutely depends on a specific title and role.
Leaders sometimes have authority and often don’t.
People who have authority are not always leaders.
The two are not mutually exclusive.
Not understanding the difference is dangerous.
I worked with a team recently and noticed one of the pitfalls of not understanding this difference. Thinking that you’re not a leader seems to cause some folks to think they don’t have to take responsibility for their own bad behavior. In fact, they don’t even recognize it as bad behavior. Breakdowns in communication are seen as everyone else’s fault, and everyone else’s responsibility to fix. They behave as if they have no control over how they show up in their interactions.
It’s simply not true.
We are all 100% responsible for our words and actions 100% of the time. Period.
If we don’t want to be The Leader of the team, that’s totally fine. But that does not excuse us from acting like leaders. From exercising the behaviors and attitudes that help support success – not just our own, but the success of those around us.
We may not all have authority, but we can absolutely all be leaders. Act like a true leader and take responsibility for your actions. Does your team need some help figuring out how to live this difference? Give me a shout.
