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By: Beth Flynn, Tuesday, February 25th, 2020

"Everyone has the capacity to be a leader; and the authority for this power is inside everyone.

Once you buy into the premise that each of us can be a leader, the next step is to give yourself permission to tap into that power. Not so easy. First, you need to overcome the self-limiting belief that you do not have the authority to access it. Put another way, you do not have to wait for the boss to give you direction or grant you permission. Instead, believe you are the boss of you, and only you can control when you access your power to lead.

A leader inspires others by serving as a role model, sometimes going first and other times listening from behind. A leader innovates either through fresh ideas or by courageously starting the process of opening up by showing vulnerability. The fountainhead of leadership is internal and its impact is external. A leader does not have to manage a team, or run a company, or be the boss. A leader emerges from the group because of their influence on others in the way they shape the team by expressing the power of their truth and insight.

Anyone con be the first one to offer an raise a counter or contrary view. Anyone can question the boss. Anyone can be the person who reads the energy in the room and then brings clarity to the team that it is going down the wrong track. Anyone can volunteer to show how she can be comfortable being uncomfortable and act as a role model for others. So, if anyone can do it - even at the same time.

Once you start to imagine yourself as a leader - despite the position you play in the formal structure - you create limitless opportunity to bring your power to the life of the team you serve (p. 109-111)."

From: Kaplan, B. & Manchester, J. (2018). The power of vulnerability: how to create a team of leaders by shifting inward. Austin, TX: Greenleaf Press.

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