You don’t need permission to lead!

Photo Source: The New Yorker

What most people think about leadership is that it is something that is given to you. But isn’t that an irony? If you need permission to be a leader, then are you really a leader? If you wait for the world to give you a title so that you can start leading, then you are not a leader at all! Now, before I write further it is important to clarify that I’m using the word “leader” in the most broadest sense possible. I’m not talking about ego-driven “leadership” where the focus is on acquiring power. I’m not even talking about leading someone.  I’m not talking about dominating people or “leading them” even when they don’t want you to lead them. The foundation of leadership, for me, is the ability to stand alone, despite all the pressure to conform. It is the ability to bring a change, however small, without waiting for someone else to do it. It is taking ownership of the cause(s) that you believe in, without worrying about how many people are with you.  Greta Thunberg, for example, didn’t wait for someone else to start a movement (she didn’t even know that it will become a movement!). Day in, day out, she is being mercilessly trolled for her looks, for her obsession, for her “abnormality” and more. And yet, she is a leader because she doesn’t care about being liked. She didn’t wait for anyone’s permission. You don’t have to wait for any kind of permission either.