Fancy Titles

You don't need one to be a leader

Being a leader isn’t about putting official-sounding words on your business card.

We need to have influence on others, and most people don’t care too much about the fancy title someone has.

Many years ago, Olin Jennings, the first president of The Jennings Group, went to a professional conference. While schmoozing with other attendees, he received a business card from a successful business owner. The man had the credential “N.D.A.A.” after his name.

Olin looked, tried silently shortening a couple of credentials to their initials, and finding no mental match, asked what “N.D.A.A.” stood for.

The man paused for a long moment. Finally, he grinned and said, “You are the first person to ever ask me that. It stands for ‘No Degree At All.’”

Influence is about attitude, about competence, about mutual trust and respect, about investing in others through coaching and mentoring, and any other way in which your words and actions change the experience for other people.

Make sure you bring your best influences to your interactions today.

(image source: https://www.memesmonkey.com/topic/leadership#&gid=1&pid=2)