Unless you’re in a small minority of people who come out of school with a business ready made, chances are you’ve worked for someone other than yourself.  According to data on statiscbrain.com, of the 318 million people in America, only 400,400 are CEO’s – so it’s highly likely that you’ll always work for someone.  However, you shouldn’t let that fact limit your leadership capacity.

Leading when you’re not in charge can be frustrating but it doesn’t have to be. Here are five ways to lead without limits at any level.

1. Pursue purpose not position

My mom always told me “dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”  Although this sounds positional, what my mom really taught was to pursue purpose and exceed expectations at any level.  Pursing purpose on the job enables you to realize your contribution is a significant piece of a much larger puzzle. When you pursue purpose, position becomes null and void.  Common thoughts like “that’s not my job” and “someone else will do it” are eliminated.

2. Lead Thyself

Leading when you’re not in charge starts with leading you.  Focus on leading yourself by making an intentional plan for your own development, monitoring your attitude, demonstrating excellence, and developing discipline.  If you can lead yourself, inevitably you will become desirable and the people in charge will want to lead you as well.  As a result you may be trusted to lead next.

3. Apply the FANFI Principle

Find A Need And Fill It (FANFI)! In his book Common Sense Business, Steve Gottry discusses the FANFI principle.  The thing that separates leaders from everyone else is they aren’t waiting on the person in charge to tell them what to do.  They’re knocking their job out and finding and filling other needs with in the organization as well.

4. Choose accomplishment over authority

Leaders are goal oriented and constantly look for ways to improve.  They understand that authority doesn’t equal accomplishment.  Instead of dwelling on authority you don’t have, harness the power you do have to accomplish something unimaginable. Then, in turn, inspire others and multiply the impact.

5. Think Critically

Regardless of title, position, salary, or authority, great leaders at any level are constantly thinking….

• How can our programs or products become better?
• What can we do to create an amazing experience for our customer?
• After we achieve this task what’s the next goal to tackle?

Simply put, think like the owner and not like an employee.  Thinking critically enables you to contribute to driving the organization forward.

What i’ve learned over the years is there is a difference between the practice of power and the practice of leadership. The practice of power is all about position, control, and authority.  Conversely, the practice of leadership begins with assuming that you aren’t “in charge”.  Once this is embraced as a starting point, if you are able to mobilize others to accomplish amazing things, then you are a leader who may eventually end up in charge of more.

Like This Post? My mission is to share actionable ways to help you immediately break your limits, build your impact, and become the change you want to see in the world.  If you found this post helpful or know someone who could take advantage of this topic pass it on.  Sharing is Caring! It’s as easy as clicking below ↓  

Entrepreneurs have varying personalities but one character trait unites us: We think we can do everything.  It’s this ‘I can take on the world’ notion that makes us so unique.  But here’s what we know for sure: No matter how smart or how many degrees we have, no one person can do everything.

However, time and time again we succumb to our

• Pride
• Ego
• Intellect
• Budget
• Insert the thing you succumb to here <–

and we let our super hero syndrome get in the way. We singlehandedly try to take on everything. Recently, I succumbed once more….

It was the afternoon of Black Friday.  I opened Instagram and instantly a 50% off post from Nicole’s Classes appeared on my timeline.  I LOVE a deal and desperately needed some marketing training for my dance studio business. Without a second thought, I purchased two classes.

Here’s the problem. Photoshop and creative design are way out of my sphere of expertise. Even though I can always see the vision, that doesn’t mean I can execute the vision.

Ok, back to my original thought….By the time I figured out how to download Nicole’s Classes, download Adobe’s Creative Clouds, and try out the Creative Cloud tutorials I was exhausted. The next day, with a fresh mind and new excitement, I logged into my class. Although the information was very easy to understand, I hated it.  As I completed the first hour of training, my mind wandered to all the other ares of business that needed my attention.

Unfortunately (and fortunately), I never logged back in to Nicole’s Classes again.  What a waste of time and money!  And, I still had the original problem of needing killer graphics for the dance studio.  Friends, learn from my failures and let this philosophy liberate you….

Have you ever had a familiar experience? If so, it’s time to stop spending precious time (and money) on things outside of your area of expertise.

Here’s 4 ways using Fiverr (an online marketplace where anyone can sell products or services for as little as $5) freed up my time to focus on developing my God-given gifts and took my entrepreneurial skills to the next level.

1. Cut the crap – Fiverr lets you remove excuses.

• I don’t have money for a team
• I’m the only person who can do it
• Delegation is a disaster

Blah, blah, blah….cut the crap!!! Because Fiverr is a large low-cost marketplace, every reason that you come up with for why ‘you can’t’ is eliminated!

2. Improve Communication – If you work in a business with more than one person, your team is probably familiar with you and the organization.  This familiarity sometimes limits a leaders ability to communicate effectively.  For example, have you ever provided an incomplete thought to someone and they respond saying, “I know what you mean”.  The person serving you on Fiverr doesn’t know you or your company…..unless you are crystal clear, they won’t know what you mean. Before giving virtual instructions, you’ve gotta know what you want.

When using Fiverr you’ll need to:

• use specific details to describe your desired results
• set clear expectations
• negotiate the terms of work
• provide timelines for delivery
• send a synopsis about your business, service, or product
• be professional, polite, and responsive

From my experience, Fiverr providers want to do great work. To do great work they need effective communication.

3. Increase Dream Intelligence – The first time I used Fiverr it was for a simple graphic design.  However, since the online marketplace is so robust, I quickly realized I could outsource things I never thought of.  I discovered quality gigs for voiceovers, transcription services, video editing, copy writing, music editing, SEO, coding, animation, branding, website design, focus groups, marketing campaigns, virtual administration and the list goes on and on. The creative energy in Fiverr is inspiring. Almost instantly, because services were at my fingertips, my dreams expanded and I was empowered to take immediate action.

4. Get More Time – I don’t know a leader who doesn’t juggle multiple priorities. There is so much to do all the time and it’s easy to become overwhelmed.   The time I have recouped using Fiverr is priceless!!!  Instead of trying to focus on everything, I’m able to focus on the things that matter most. Imagine being able to spend more time connecting with your team, honing your expertise, creating high value content, volunteering, or spending time with family.

The ultimate goal of any leader is to focus on what you do best and delegate the rest.  The sooner you can  empower others to execute areas of your business that are outside your area of expertise the better.

Like This Post? My goal is to share actionable ways to help you immediately break your limits, build your impact, and become the change you want to see in the world.  If you found this post helpful or know someone who could take advantage of this information please, please share the wealth! It’s as easy as clicking below ↓  

Communication doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Here’s a simple crash course to immediately create better communication.

1. Start with Writing: 

Think back to that last meeting, webinar, speech, or even book that you read. How much of the content was rambling, repeat information, or fillers? Before communicating anything, clear your thoughts from clutter by starting with a pen and paper. Quickly writing your thoughts will force you to dial in and get crystal clear on your message. Michael Hyatt frequently says this phrase that I love, “what goes from lips, through fingertips, usually sticks”.   

2. Be Concise: 

When communicating, get the point quickly. Since communication runs 2-ways, be sure to check for comprehension and receive feedback; but warn your team that no piggybacking or repeats are permitted (these are just time wasters). After understanding is achieved, move on to the next topic.

3. Keep it Consistent:

Everyone is a creature of habit and the best way create a culture where communication is fostered is to establish and maintain consistent routines.  Whether its:

• regular recurring meetings
• video/conference calls
• reports etc.

the team should be aware of defined modes of communication and they should be scheduled. Scheduling the consistent session means that the communication won’t get bypassed by today’s emergency.

4. Choose the Correct Medium:  

Don’t make the common mistake of using the wrong means to communicate. Before you start communicating ask yourself….. is this “head knowledge” or “heart knowledge” and, based on the response, choose the correct communication medium.  Head knowledge is communication that:

• involves dates and times
• communicating facts
• scheduling and coordination
• simple updates

Head knowledge is easily communicated remotely through email and conference calls.

Conversely, heart knowledge is communication that is better received when the communicator is able to leverage emotions and body language. Heart knowledge includes:

• vision casting
• project launches
• confronting challenges
• introducing a pivot
• program evaluation

Heart knowledge should almost always be communicated either in person or via video conference.

We all want to be better communicators. These are few things that you can immediately add to your current communication processes. When executed, these 4 simple practices can improve your organization’s communication, boost morale, and increase overall productivity.

A few hours later you land and with butterflies of excitement, rush out of the airport to jump into your rental car. But wait; there’s a huge problem…You don’t have a map.  Now what: Do you      wing-it in a foreign city by riding along hoping you’ll stumble onto the correct path? Or, not wanting to waste any of your precious vacation, do you find the closest convenience store to purchase a map?

Depending on your personality the response will vary, but one obvious thing we know is that it’s much harder and stressful to find our destination in unfamiliar spaces when we don’t know where we’re going.

Are you living without a Map?

As a leader, often times we get super excited about vision. Just like a vacation destination, when we get a vision, we see the end destination and are so thrilled about getting there, that in many instances, we jump on the journey without a map.  Here’s a simple 3 step process to be sure you never travel without a map again.

Before you start on the journey create your   M – My   A – Action  P – Plan

Step 1: Define My

“My” is writing the vision or the goal you want to achieve.  Habakkuk 2:2 says write the vision and make it plain, but so many of us miss this step.  Writing down your vision or goal not only provides clarity and focus, it provides confidence.   As leaders we have 101 thoughts and ideas that run through our head.  Hopefully we’re writing them all down, eliminating the ones that are good ideas and only keeping the ones that are God ideas.  If your “My” for the moment makes the cut, that’s a mode of confirmation that it’s a “My” you should pursue.

Step 2: Write down the required Actions

Here’s the bottom line; without action, nothing is achieved!  After you’ve defined your my, the next step is make a list of actions that are necessary to achieve your my.  Your actions list should be as specific and as detailed as possible.  This list doesn’t have to be pretty, organized or final….a braindump that serves as a living document will due. Seeing all the necessary actions to achieve your vision or goal may be overwhelming at first, but the best way to achieve your vision or reach your goal is to break down task into small action items and tackle the them.

Step 3: Create a Plan 

Once you’ve defined your my and developed a preliminary action list, the next step is to create a plan.  In the planning phase, aim to answer more complex questions like who, what, when, where, why, and how.  Planning should include:

• organizing your action items into categories
• delegation by assigning specific actions to specific people
• enlisting supplemental support
• setting benchmarks
• plotting timelines

Here’s the beauty of using this kind of  M – My  A – Action  P – Plan…..

No matter the size or importance of the goal, a MAP  is fully customizable.  I use this MAPing process to achieve simple goals like meal prep and more complex goals like launching a business initiative.

So, do you have a map for that?…

Or do you get a great idea, have an amazing vision, or a set a goal and then jump in the car, turn the key, and put your foot to the pedal in wing-it mode? Sure, enough correct turns may eventually lead us to the intended destination, but what would your life look like if you took control and created a M – My  A – Action  P – Plan for every journey.  Its time to pull out the navigation, plot the course, and reach our intended destination.