There are a lot of books and articles about Leadership. But there really is only one underlying difference between a Leader and a non-leader.

It boils down to this: Non-leaders take care of themselves, and let others take care of themselves. While leaders think about where we all need to get to, and encourage and lead others to come with them.

Leaders are needed everywhere. They are needed in families, in organizations, in business, in churches, and many other places. You don’t have to be a leader everywhere, but I bet there are some places where you are needed as a leader.

Being a leader is a mind shift. It’s about considering things beyond yourself.

Here’s a hypothetical example:

There’s a school field trip at the zoo. The kids are told to meet in front of the elephants at noon – they’re old enough where this shouldn’t be a problem. The kids scatter off in different directions to look at the different exhibits. Then at noon, all the kids find their way to the elephants except for Joey. The teacher asks the kids, “Where’s Joey?”, and they all answer, “I don’t know.”

This is an example of all the kids being followers. None of them took leadership or responsibility for any of the other kids. Each kid is taking care of himself or herself and letting the other kids do the same. They’re assuming they don’t need to be a leader. That’s the teacher’s job.

If one or more of the kids took leadership, they might suggest that they travel in pairs, or tell everyone where they are planning on going, or check in periodically.

The method doesn’t matter in this example. It’s the mind shift that’s being highlighted. It’s a shift from wondering, “Am I doing OK?” to “Are we doing OK?”

That’s the first thing you need to know about leadership. It’s not about who gets to call the shots. It’s about the underlying thought process, and there is only a one letter difference:

Leaders are thinking about “we”, while non-leaders are thinking only about “me.”

As you go about your day, what are you thinking about?