Are You Leading Where You Are… or Waiting for Permission?

It’s an uncomfortable question, but an honest one.

Are you leading where you are?
Or are you waiting for someone else to do something first?

It’s easy to stand back with folded arms and say, “Well, what can I do about it?”
Easier still to mutter, “The system is rigged against the little guy.”

And maybe it feels that way some days.

But here’s the truth most people forget.

We are the little guys and gals.

This country was built by people who didn’t have permission slips. They didn’t wait for approval. They didn’t ask if they were qualified enough to try.

They simply stepped forward.

We are a nation of ordinary people who refused to live ordinary lives. A collection of small individuals with big ideas. We didn’t come from polished conference rooms or perfect plans.

We came from barns, basements, kitchens, and hard work.

So let me ask you something.

Do you actually need a degree to lead?
Do you need a title?
A seat at a table you weren’t invited to?

No.

Leadership doesn’t come with a badge.
It doesn’t require a certificate.
And it doesn’t ask for permission.

Leadership begins the moment you decide you’re no longer going to be silent about the things that matter.

And if you’re wondering where to start, I’ll give you the simplest leadership plan ever written. It fits on a napkin. Maybe the back of your hand.

Two points.

Listen more than you talk.

The world is drowning in noise. Everybody wants the microphone. Everybody is certain they’re right. Nobody wants to sit quietly long enough to understand.

The strongest leaders I’ve known weren’t the loudest in the room.

They were the most curious.

They asked better questions.
They listened between the lines.
They paid attention when others were already planning their next sentence.

When you speak, improve upon the silence.

That’s the standard.

Don’t just add noise.
Add value.

If your words don’t make something clearer, stronger, or more useful, let the silence win.

Your voice isn’t valuable because it’s loud.
It’s valuable because it’s considered.

There’s a line Stephen Covey wrote that belongs on every wall and every conscience:

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

That isn’t just good advice.

That’s leadership in a single sentence.

Not dominance.
Not control.
Not performance.

Understanding.

If you want to lead, start there.

Not in Washington.
Not in a boardroom.
Not someday, when you feel ready.

Right where you are.

Because leadership doesn’t begin when the world hands you a platform.

It begins when you decide to stand up… even if you’re standing alone.