If I asked you to draw me a picture of a leader, you might pull together a confident and commanding CEO running a meeting, a press conference, or a standup with a group of people. Leaders tend to stand out for how they carry themselves, what they wear, and certainly their title. While your vision might be partially right, the formal leaders in our organizations aren’t the only ones with the power to lead.

Here’s an important lesson for you: Every single person on your team has the potential to lead.

Now you might be thinking, “Scott, hold on! Not everyone on my team is equipped to lead. They haven’t had training or formal experience yet. How can I expect them to manage other people?” This brings up another important point. “Leadership” isn’t just about managing teams, or even teams of teams.

Leadership is about being bold and taking initiative to create change that positively impacts those around the leader.

If you see EOS as a system that must be followed, it’s time to reevaluate your thinking. It goes far, far beyond that! One description of EOS is “a system to focus human energy.” This only happens when roles are clear, the culture creates space to lead, and people are supported by a great leader or manager.

EOS Tools Supporting Leadership

Accountability Chart

This tool not only creates clarity around the key roles and responsibilities for your seat, it also establishes a clear picture of what your teammates need to GWC. 

Question: What opportunities do you see to coach or mentor others to live into their seat?

Core Values

These are not only what you can and should expect of your leaders. They also define the culture of your organization. For the culture to be strong, 100% of your people need to be the right people, including you!

Question: If you were a one-person ‘culture committee’ at your organization, what is one thing you could do this month to promote or build a healthier culture?

Rocks

We are all busy, and yet completing certain goals can help make our job and our team’s jobs easier, more efficient, or more impactful. Rocks are not just things others do to help us, they are things we do to solve issues for ourselves, our teams, or our organization.

Question: What is one thing you could do in the next 90 days to solve an issue that is irritating you or your team?

A Real Example of Organization-wide Leadership

In great organizations, everyone leads. Regardless of whether or not you have LMA for your seat, the three tools I just mentioned can help you see opportunities to lead in your organization. Do you believe this? Let me share with you a great example.

I had a great conversation with Kelly Plawinski, the COO and EOS Integrator at Adamy Valuation, about how she sees her team members leading at every level of their organization. Check out the interview we had for some great insights.

Let me give you one question to ask yourself at the end of this video: What does leadership look like from my seat?