Leaders Everywhere

I like this quote from Ronald Reagan, “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” For some reason this quote made me think of the scene in Tom Sawyer when Aunt Polly punishes Tom by making him whitewash the fence. Tom makes the job look so fun that soon the neighborhood boys are paying him to have their chance to paint the fence. 

This blog series has always focused on ideas that define hospital leaders. Here is the question for you, what kind of leader are you? Many of us are not the ones in charge or have the title but we lead by getting others to do their best.  I feel like in my life I am sometimes in charge of everything and at the same time in charge of nothing. It is a weird dynamic to explain but maybe you can relate to the feeling. You might not be the CEO, but if you are like Tom Sawyer, you are the one getting people to do great things and you are the one that people go to when they need things done or need information. You are what’s called an informal leader. An informal leader holds a lot of power and influence in the organization. Informal leaders are individuals respected by management, appreciated by the entire staff, and who make a difference through a strong work ethic. The informal leader is a person in your organization who can make or break a new idea or help guide a challenging change in the organization.

Leaders without a Title

Every organization has informal leaders. It is part of the work culture. When you think about informal leadership, you think about an individual's ability to influence other employees positively (sometimes negatively!) because of their reputation and credibility in the workplace. Employees in turn view informal leaders as worthy of following. While informal leaders don't hold a formal position of power within their organization and don't dictate who follows them, they can still affect the actions and thoughts of those around them.

One of the best (and most entertaining) characterizations of how this process works comes from Derek Sivers’s TED talk “First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy.” (Take three minutes now and check it out here. You’re welcome.) In the video, a lone dancer wobbles around, looking ridiculous. The first follower comes in and is encouraged by the lone dancer to join in. The first follower is crucial. He transforms the lone nut into a leader. The turning point comes when the second follower joins, validating the action of the leader and the first follower. Soon after, even more join. Eventually, the ones  seated are in the minority. Sivers’s key point in the video is this: The formal leader (the guy who starts the dance alone) is essential to catalyze a movement, but it is informal leaders joining in who ultimately influence and decide whether a new behavior takes hold. 

Do you know who the informal leaders are at your hospital? If not, start looking around. Knowing these leaders is vital to your success. That’s the way I see it this week from where I sit.