They say “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” At the moment, I’m an army of one. Part of the reason I became a workaholic is because I was trying to do everything by myself. I’m growing and I’m happy to announce that I’m in the process of hiring my first full-time employee—you can see the job description here. In the past, I’ve led teams of 30-40 people and witnessed first hand the amazing things an empowered team can do.

Nonetheless, I believe in personal leadership, therefore, I still consider myself a leader. Though I don’t have any employees yet, I lead thousands of people every week to “more happy hours” through my blog at www.julliengordon.com.

You can lead from where you are as a manager, employee, mentor, parent, writer, speaker, teacher, student, or individual citizen. Undoubtedly, there is someone—whether you know it or not—watching you and being influenced by who you are and what you do.

What is leadership?

Is it a position, personality, or level of power? Is it how much power you have or how much power you give? Are followers required? Is it about being first or being last? Are people born to be leaders or can you grow into it?

Dictionary Definition
lead·er·ship [ ldər shìp ]

1. ability to lead: the ability to guide, direct, or influence people
2. guidance: guidance or direction
3. leaders: a group of leaders

Leadership is the act of creating more leaders.

To me, a great leader is someone who creates more leader. Oftentimes we look to politicians, corporate and non-profit executives as our leaders, but leadership isn’t hierarchical—it can happen anywhere, at any level of a society or organization. Leadership starts with one’s self. The only people who are born to be leaders are those born into royal families. But their position as king, queen, prince, or princess doesn’t make them a leader.

While leaders may be bestowed power, leadership is actually the return of power to the people who “gave” the leader the power in the first place. Mohandas Gandhi’s leadership wasn’t about himself—his long-term goal was “to become a complete zero.” Leadership is not about gaining power—it’s about empowering others. A single individual can positively affect the world, but with the co-leadership of others they can change the world.

We also tend to associate leadership with an individual, when in most cases, leaders thrive in teams. Within that team, a particular individual may be the face of the team or organization, but just because they are the face doesn’t make them the foundation.

The 4 Levels of Leadership

I think there are 4 Levels of Leadership, and a true leader seeks to move up through the levels to the point where they are no longer needed because the people they were leading feel motivated to sustain the movement or mission they initiated even in their absence.

Level 1: Self-Leadership

Belief: You believe in you
Thought: “I can do it.”

Level 1 starts with you. All of us have doubts about ourselves and our abilities. We think, I’m not smart enough, big enough, confident enough, cool enough, talented enough, charismatic enough, good looking enough, etc. These doubts stop us from being bold and taking risks.

Because these doubts are internal, they can be hard to overcome. Usually, another leader, who sees something in us that we can’t see in ourselves, inspires us by telling us that we are good enough, smart enough, amazing enough to be a contribution. Once you start believing in yourself, you start exhibiting self-leadership.

Level 2: Inspiration

Belief: Others believe in you
Thought: “Jullien can do it, but I could never do that.”

As you step into self-leadership, being bold, taking risks, doing things your way, and challenging the status quo, you start to become an inspiration to others. They see you come to a fork in the road and choose the road less traveled or pave your own road. They get excited by the way you are navigating yourself, but because of their self-doubts, they aren’t ready to step into self-leadership (Level 1). So they sit on the stands and just watch you play.

Most leaders stop at Level 2. It feels great to have fans. But if we revisit my definition of leadership—the process of creating more leaders—then a great leader can’t be satisfied with just having everyone follow the leader.

Level 3: Motivation

Belief: Others believe in themselves the way they believe in you
Thought: “If Jullien can do it, I can do it too.”

A great leader is committed to helping their “followers” follow to eventually lead. The ultimate goal is for the followers to become leaders in their own right, so that they don’t just look to the leader as a savior or as someone special. Level 3 occurs when followers begin to believe in themselves and notice that the only difference between them and their leader is a degree of self-awareness and commitment to serving others.

At this level, follower start becoming an inspiration (Level 2) to those around them. People around them see them navigating their life in a new authentic way. They get more and more motivated as they start to shed the veil of self-doubt and step into who they truly are. While they still believe in you, you are no longer on a pedestal alone—they have now risen to your level and see eye-to-eye with you.

Level 4: Movement

Belief: Others believe in each other they way they believe in themselves
Thought: “If I can do it, anyone can do it.”

Level 4 is the hardest. Most leaders stop at Level 2 or 3. The reason is that at Level 4, the ego gets no attention because it’s no longer about the leader. Once a true leader reaches Level 4, they can be absent, and the movement or mission will continue indefinitely without them. The movement—whether it’s a company, cause, church, etc.—takes on a life its own and has the potential to transform into something even greater than the original leader could imagine.

While the original leader made it possible, they don’t have to be present. They have created a culture of people believing in each other rather than people believing in an individual. The sustainability of the movement is no longer dependent on one person—instead it is based on one core belief system in people and principles.

Leadership vs. Management

Leadership is not a characteristic—it’s a choice and an action that begins with self and then ripples out to others. Especially in business, leadership and management often get used synonymously. They aren’t the same.

• Management is about securing a successful system whereas as leadership is about challenging a broken system.
• Management is based in fear of loss whereas leadership is based on love for gain. Management is measured in productivity whereas leadership is measured in possibility.
• Management is about reducing risk whereas leadership is about taking them. Management is about overseeing others whereas leadership is about helping others see.

Management is a phase that usually comes after leadership, but an organization that shifts to too much management and too little leadership will eventually fade because it is securing an old vision that is no longer relevant to the times.

Whether you have a team or not, you can be a leader through the way you live your life. Unless you live alone on an island, every day is an opportunity to influence others.

The greatest leaders don’t have followers.

Wishing you more happy hours,