Is Position-less Leadership Really Possible?
I have a million-dollar question for you: are you willing to lead without having a “position”?
Leadership roles are often associated with positions and job descriptions that is given to a person who is qualified with a set of skills that can be appropriate for a certain task or job assignment.
Together with these roles come the authority and responsibilities that need to be carried out, and that involves people from the workforce.
Workers who were assigned to a leader needs to adhere to both the position and the person with the expectation of productivity and effectivity within the sphere of a given task.
This is one of the reasons why leadership and position are somewhat synonymous with each other. However, these questions remain:
- Is position-less leadership possible?
- What would be the effect of this set up in terms of productivity and efficiency?
- Does it promote values and disciplines that can bring an environment of harmony and teamwork in the workplace?
- What would be the implications to the one who leads without any title or position?
Let’s find out.
Position-less leadership can be seen within a person’s motives and dedication to the task that was given to him or her.
It is never loyal to the position but it is true to the cause or task regarding the things that the leader can contribute to the cause and for the benefit of many.
While some leaders are more loyal to the position, those who are position-less are seen by many to lead so they follow him or her regardless if the position is available or not.
John Maxwell, a leadership expert, cited a situation in his work about the Five Levels of Leadership. In his 5 Levels of Leadership, he says that those who lead by position are the lowest level of leadership because people follow you due to the position. It comes with the territory, as they say.
Maxwell points out that “Position is the only level that does not require ability and effort to achieve. Anyone can be appointed to a position. This means that position is a fine starting point, but every leader should aspire to grow beyond Level 1.”
A person can be a leader when people follow them. The position is only secondary. People need someone they can trust to lead them. And the effect of gaining people’s trust is that they can open themselves up for you to influence them to get the job done.
Some leaders find it difficult to gain trust because the interest of the leader goes first before the interest of others. Once people see this, it is impossible for them to give their trust to you. If you don’t gain their trust, you will lead by position, which according to Maxwell, is the lowest form of leadership.
It’s best to always look out for other people’s interest before your own personal interest. In this way, you can be seen as a leader that goes beyond position.
Position-less leadership can inspire people to be productive and efficient because they operate outside the position.
I can remember this one instance where a teammate whom I have worked with before didn’t hold a high position but there were a lot of people following him.
One of the reasons why they followed him was because he is dedicated to working, even without the promise of promotion or increase in pay. The leader’s motivation comes from the goal of the company.
This sounds too good to be true but there are some people who place the value of their work on contributing rather than to be recognized. This can be inspiring to people since people from the ranks can sympathize with the leader’s cause.
Dedication at works spells out competence and hard work. You can lead without a position if people are inspired by your hard work and competence.
These two can be contagious to people who are seeking for results. So the next time you want to lead someone even though you are not vying for any position but rather be efficient in what was assigned to you, start by being competent and hardworking. You will be able to attract those who speak the same language and you can have the opportunity to lead them.
Harmony and teamwork at the workplace can be achieved if the people respect their leaders. This is one of the most important things that a position can’t guarantee.
I have experienced a lot of officemates who talk behind the back of bosses who are just there because of the position. For those who may not have the position but people still follow within the organization know their roles and are truthful to every rule or policies the company has. These type of leaders understand that having an integrity can result in other people’s respect.
Position-less leadership is difficult to achieve if people are more attracted to be promoted and climb the corporate ladder rather than to impart a legacy or contribute to a noble cause of putting others first before himself or herself.
For those who opted to be in the role of leadership without any pay raise or promotion, their understanding of success must go beyond the rewards and recognition he or she can have while in position.
These people are rare to find. You can see them mostly being satisfied by the success of the whole rather than his or her personal, individual success.
And as someone who has seen such, these can hold on to their moral code and lead people towards an organization that has honor and legacy.
