The Transformational Leader

5Shifting Perspectives: Redefining Leadership Beyond Titles and Ranks

We don't need a title to lead. We just need to care.

People would rather follow a leader with a heart than a leader with a title.

—Craig Groeschel

WHAT'S THE MARK of an authentic and transformative leader? The answer is within these four stories; read them, and we'll circle back.

In 2008, the Taliban seized control of Mingora, Pakistan. Overnight, the lives of its people drastically changed, including 10-year-old Malala Yousafzai. Along with banning television, music, and dancing, the extremists destroyed more than 400 schools and criminalized the education of females. Yousafzai's father was a teacher and education advocate who, before Taliban rule, ran a school for girls in their village. Raised to believe all people deserved equal opportunities, regardless of gender, the courageous young girl chronicled the injustices she faced for the BBC.

After fleeing to a safer region of Pakistan with her family, she became a vocal girls’ education advocate. In 2012, a year after being awarded Pakistan's National Youth Peace Prize, 14-year-old Yousafzai was hunted down and shot in the head by Taliban soldiers. Incredibly, she survived. After months of restorative surgeries and intense rehabilitation, Yousafzai returned to her family, who were now living in the United Kingdom. Instead of remaining silent, she used her notoriety to amplify her cause globally. In 2014, the 17-year-old became the youngest person in history ...