Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership

CHAPTER 1Leadership Is Not a Position

WHEN YOU HEAR the word “leader,” what immediately comes to mind?

Maybe you think of someone with a title, such as CEO, president, prime minister, or admiral. Maybe you think of some famous public figure, such as a celebrity actor or singer, start-up founder, or pro athlete. Maybe you think of someone from the history books who led a revolution, conquest, or world-changing movement. Or maybe you think of someone who created a breakthrough invention, won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize, wrote a best-selling novel or Grammy-winning song. It's rather common to see these kinds of responses. They are reinforced every time you read one of those lists of the “50 Greatest Leaders of the Year.” In fact, if you take a look at one of the most well-known lists, you'll see that 100 percent of the so-called “greatest leaders” fall into these categories.¹ It's true for young leaders as well. In a list of young global leaders prepared by the World Economic Forum, 85 percent of the young leaders held the title of a senior executive, founder, or government official.² The majority of “leaders” who make these lists and are featured in the popular press are people with titles and at the apex of their organizations.

It's not that these individuals aren't leaders. They are. It's just that they are not the only leaders on the planet. In fact, they aren't even the majority of leaders. We've collected data from millions of people around the world and we can report, without ...