A common complaint among leaders is that there is too much information available and not enough time to derive meaning from it and act decisively. That being the case, then, those who wish to reshape what happens tomorrow must rethink their concept of leadership today.

For starters, the assumption that leadership is consigned to the highest levels is flawed. In a customer-centered marketplace, initiating corrections, making adjustments, authorizing refunds, calming people down, and restoring buyer confidence are all leadership activities. In short, you need responsible people at all levels who will act on the company’s behalf any time day or night.

Leadership works best when it is informal. Leadership skills can be acquired on-the-job with practice once you focus on the process of leadership rather than on the position. The following competencies are necessary for leadership to occur. Therefore, the person(s) who performs them should be considered a leader.

– Create a vision with outcomes and goals.

– Bring people into alignment around the vision.

– Encourage open disagreement and discussion.

– Concentrate on the task at hand.

– Communicate the results to the key players.

As the old saying goes, “If it walks like a duck, acts like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck.” Substitute leader for duck and you have the right picture.

You don’t have to send people to a leadership program to teach them how to lead. Just ensure that they are clear on their purpose before you hand them the leadership role. The beauty of this concept is that once the purpose is understood the role of leader can be performed by anyone who really wants the job and cares enough to do it right.