Leadership: Knowing the Difference Between Normal Thinking and Leadership Thinking

Before it is anything else, leadership is a way of thinking.

Often, we see others substitute positioning or posturing for true leadership. For example, people who decide to become parents aren’t necessarily thinking about leadership. They are thinking about wanting a baby or having a family. But parenting is leadership for better or worse. In my opinion, there is no greater position of leadership and influence than that of a parent. People who go to college and get degrees in education because they want to be teachers aren’t necessarily thinking about leadership. In most cases, they want to simply teach. But being a teacher is so much more than just teaching a subject to a class.

People who are gifted as athletes and excel on the collegiate level by achieving scholarships aren’t necessarily thinking about leadership. They just love the game they love. They may even go on to play on a professional level, not because they want to be leaders but because they have the talent and the skill and want to get paid well for what they do. Think about Hollywood and the influence actors and actresses have on politics, culture, and morals in our society. When people decide to be actors, are they thinking about leadership? I don’t think so. But are they seen as influencers? Yes!

Think leadership, think beyond “normal”!