Leadership Is an Activity, Not a Title

When most people hear the word “leader,” they picture someone with a title at the top of an organizational chart. A CEO, a principal, a head coach. These roles are certainly important, but equating leadership with authority misses the essence of what leadership really is. Titles give authority, but they do not guarantee leadership. True leadership is not about power or position; it is an activity anyone can choose to practice.

Authority and Leadership Are Not the Same 👮

Authority is tied to roles. It comes with responsibilities, resources, and decision-making power. The moment someone steps into a position, the authority of that role transfers to them. The moment they step out, the authority remains behind for the next person. Leadership, on the other hand, travels with the individual. It is not assigned by a board or written on a business card. Leadership is the activity of engaging oneself and others to align the factors necessary for thriving.

This distinction matters because organizations often confuse studies of authority with studies of leadership. Research that measures the behavior of managers or executives is often labeled as “leadership research.” In reality, it is research on authority. By conflating the two, we risk missing what makes leadership so powerful: the ability to mobilize discretionary effort, not just mandatory effort.

Leadership as an Activity 🤸🏼

Leadership works like any other activity. Just as people type, run, or dance at certain moments, they also lead at certain moments. No one is leading all day, every day. Leadership happens when accountability meets action—when someone takes responsibility for aligning the necessary factors to move a group, project, or purpose forward.

Seeing leadership as an activity also makes it accessible. It is not limited to executives, founders, or directors. It is available to anyone who chooses to act in ways that create thriving conditions. A frontline employee who notices a problem and rallies colleagues to fix it is practicing leadership. A volunteer who organizes neighbors to improve a community space is practicing leadership. Leadership is something you do, not something you are simply granted.

Performance and Practice 🏋

Like any activity, leadership can be performed at different levels. The Performance Ladder provides a way to understand these levels—from oblivious, to basic, to competent, to advanced, and ultimately to strength. A person may show basic leadership by speaking up in a meeting, or advanced leadership by teaching others how to engage effectively. Strength-level leadership emerges when talents, skills, and knowledge align to consistently create thriving outcomes.

The key insight is that leadership can be developed. No one is permanently “a leader” or “not a leader.” Instead, we can all practice the activity of leadership and progress up the Ladder of Performance by investing in our talents, expanding our knowledge, and refining our skills.

Why This Shift Matters 📌

When organizations cling to the idea that leadership belongs only to those with titles, they overlook the leadership potential of the many. This creates a fragile system where thriving depends solely on a few at the top. By embracing leadership as an activity, organizations unlock the power of distributed leadership: the collective capacity of people at all levels to take accountability and act toward thriving outcomes.

Progression Theory reminds us that perfection is never possible, but progression is always possible. Applied to leadership, this means no one will lead perfectly, but everyone can practice leadership more effectively over time. Thriving organizations are built when leadership is not hoarded in titles but practiced widely as an activity.

Authority assigns responsibility, but leadership creates thriving. When we understand leadership as an activity, we shift from waiting on titles to recognizing opportunities to act. This reframing makes leadership accessible to everyone and strengthens organizations by multiplying the number of people capable of mobilizing progress. Leadership is not a destination. It is something we do, again and again, as we engage ourselves and others to move toward thriving.

If you're interested in learning more about organizational development, human relations, leadership, and similar topics, we'd love you to sign up for our monthly Positive Leadership Journal.