Monday, March 23, 2026

You’re a Leader! Yes, You!

We can all lead each other in small but significant ways.

By Alison Brown

I’ve always balked at the term leadership. This is partly because corporate buzzwords and LinkedIn lingo make my skin itchy and partly because I’ve always attributed it to one specific kind of person: loud, persuasive, bold, brash, and bossy. Isn’t that why bosses are called bosses?

I offer you another view: You are already a leader. It’s true. Even if you’re not a manager or supervisor or have a fancy title, you already have within you the potential to lead.

One aspect of leadership is characterized by those who are in positions of authority and those who hold responsibility for the management of the workplace. And it bears mentioning that CLAC honours, celebrates, and effectively trains your union stewards, the ones who guide and protect you and your fellow members at work.

But to lead doesn’t necessarily mean you check all the LinkedIn markers of success. It means that in whatever job you do, and whatever title you bear, you have the potential to lead others and make your work a better place for all.

Yes, we need people in charge. But don’t think of it as a hierarchy with the bosses on top. Think of it as a circle, like a chocolate chip cookie. Every chocolate chip, every worker in a workplace, is a different piece that makes the cookie delicious, but no chip outshines the other. Every chip is just as necessary as the others.

Leadership Isn’t a Title—It’s a Way of Life

To lead is to guide, to show the way, to influence. I can guarantee you that you’re already leading in seemingly small but significant ways:

Showing up for your clients, customers, students, or residents and greeting them with a smile will brighten their day, even when you’re not feeling your best.
Opening up to your coworkers about your struggles with substances or mental health, which may lead someone to seek help for themselves or a loved one.
Being the voice of calm and reason in a contentious work environment, which may inspire others to follow suit.
Lending a helping hand to the new hire.
Being a safe person.
Demonstrating curiosity and kindness, rather than ignorance or fear, toward a coworker from another country.
Remembering everyone’s Tim’s order.
Having a sympathetic ear when a coworker is going through a hard time.
Taking the moral high ground.
Speaking up for the vulnerable and those in your workplace without a voice—or those who haven’t yet found their voice.
Leading with grace, not judgment.

Leadership isn’t always in the hands of the decision makers. While they are important, it takes more than the head honchos at the top to make a workplace run smoothly.

Like an orchestra, every instrument has a role, and only when they play together does the whole symphony come alive. You may be playing bass clarinet. You may rarely get a solo.

But your contribution, even if subtle, is just as essential.

You’re a Leader! Yes, You!

Leadership Isn’t a Title—It’s a Way of Life

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