Leadership — It’s a choice.
Leadership isn't a title you wear or a box you check. It's a choice—one you make every day, in every interaction, and especially in moments when it feels easier to sit back. Leadership, at its core, is about responsibility, courage, and consistency. Let’s explore what it really means to choose leadership.
1. You Can’t Pick and Choose When to Lead
Leadership isn’t a part-time gig. The moment you decide to lead, you’re committing to showing up—every time.
It’s tempting to think of leadership as something you can turn on and off, stepping up when the stakes are high or when the spotlight’s on you, but true leadership is revealed in the quieter moments: a team member struggling to meet a deadline; a project that’s stuck in the mud; or a meeting filled with tension and uncertainty.
And as a Leader you are relied upon, to lean into challenges and discomfort, to set the example, the standard. The consistency of your actions builds trust and sets the tone for the culture you want to create both for your team and for the entire organisation.
2. Managing Up
Typically, we associate leadership with managing our direct reports. True leaders, however, lead everyone and they excel at managing up.
Managing up is about empathy. You must understanding your manager - their goals, their challenges, and their communication styles. You want to be the person that makes their job easier. By understanding them, you’ll foresee their problems and be able to speak in their voice with both your and their point-of-view.
To manage up effectively, be authentic to you. Bring solutions, not just problems. Anticipate their needs whilst prioritising your own. Help your manager with information overload through being clear and concise. For data-driven decisions provide facts and logical options. For creativity, show that their patience, collaboration and open-minded leads to best results. The goal is to create a relationship built on mutual trust and respect—one where your leadership can shine, regardless of formal authority.
When you’re skilled at managing up, you’re not only improving the dynamic with your superiors; you’re also modeling behaviour for your team. They’ll see what it means to take initiative, communicate empathetically, and prioritise the bigger picture - encouraging them to lead as well.
3. Always Be the Example, Always Be Leading
Leadership is as much about who you are as it is about what you do. Your actions set the standard for everyone around you. If you expect excellence, model it. If you value transparency, practice it. If you’re asking your team to go above and beyond, demonstrate that you’re willing to do the same.
It’s not enough to tell people what’s important, they’re looking to you for cues on how to behave. The best leaders know that leadership is about influence, not control. You earn influence through consistency, integrity, and a genuine commitment to the people you serve.
And here’s the tough part: leadership isn’t about being perfect. You’ll make mistakes. You’ll have bad days. What matters is how you handle those moments - because you’re always leading. Apologise when you’re wrong. Take responsibility, always. Use setbacks as opportunities to show resilience. When you lead with humility and authenticity, you inspire others to do the same.
Choosing to be a leader means embracing the reality that leadership is rarely glamorous or easy. It’s a choice to step into discomfort, to take ownership, and to prioritise the growth of others alongside your own. It’s about showing up fully—not just when it suits, but when it matters.
By committing to set the example, manage up, and lead at all times, you’re not just making a choice for yourself; you’re creating a ripple effect that inspires others to do the same. Leadership is a choice.
What do you choose?