Leadership is a Choice
By: Wes Cochrane
Leadership. It’s not about the haves or have nots. You ain’t born with it. It’s not made.
Leadership is a choice. It’s a choice.
It’s a choice to wake up each day and choose to lead. It’s there for you.
Before your feet hit the ground, you clothe yourself with humility. Before your feet hit the ground, you clothe yourself with strength.
You choose—each day, everyday, to serve; to listen to others; to withhold judgment; to forego pettiness; to set an example; to do what others do not want to do; to put in the time that others aren’t willing to give; to ask for help; to be help; to engage those around you; to leverage the talents and skills of those around you; to keep your head on a swivel for those who are struggling around you; to be quick to say sorry; to be quick to forgive; to be willing to take the blame; to be quick to give credit to others; to speak with authority; to be kind; to be one who continues to learn and inspires others to continue to learn.
Leadership is a choice.
It is not a gift.
It is not a talent.
It is is not a character trait.
It is a choice.
And it’s democratic.
It’s available to all who are willing to learn about; to pursue it; and to implement it—in all of its messiness. It is available to all those who are brave enough to go for it and to practice it.
It is a choice.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been leading for 5 months, 5 years, or 50 years. You have to choose—every morning—to show up and lead others.
You will not lead by accident. You do not stumble in to it. You do not default to leadership.
This is because leadership is hard. It takes effort. You’ll fail at it. You struggle with it. But, it’s universally accessible.
Are you ready to learn, are you ready to put in the work, are you ready to do what you are called to do?
That is up to you. Every single day, that is up to you and no one else.
Lead well, my friends, today and every day.