What It Means to Be a True Leader

In the tech industry, leadership is often equated with having direct reports. But I’ve never agreed with that. Here’s what leadership truly means to me:

Leaders are the ones who ask questions when nobody else does. They challenge assumptions when others are focused on answering them. They ask why when everyone else is busy executing.

True leaders own their lives. They don’t just follow what others have told them—they learn, but they don’t rush to decide what’s 'right' or 'wrong' based solely on what they’ve been taught. When they encounter something that most people label as 'wrong,' they get curious. They try to see what's really happening instead of accepting what they’re supposed to see. They evolve their knowledge and form their own opinions.

Ask yourself these questions to see if you’re truly leading:

• When you hear 'no,' do you immediately give up?
• When someone says, "this is how it's done here," do you accept it without question?
• If you’re given a task you’ve never done before and can't find similar examples, do you get anxious?
• Do you automatically assume there must be a good reason for a task, even if it doesn’t make sense, and execute without question?
• When someone does something unexpected, do you quickly label it as 'bad' or 'wrong'?

Many of my clients embody this type of leadership. They remain curious and open to seeing things as they are, not just as they’re supposed to be. They challenge what they’ve learned, test it, and build their own insights. As a result, they create the roles they’ve always wanted:

• One client, after a layoff, intended to apply for a lower-level role to increase her chances of being hired. After working together, she applied at her current level and received an offer one title higher, with a salary increase.
• Another client felt there was no room for growth in her company and was considering leaving. Together, we worked to create her dream role, which her employer then offered her.
• A third client felt she wasn’t seen as a leader, only as an executor. After coaching, she applied for leadership roles in other companies and secured a position three levels above her current role.

They all thought it wasn’t possible, but I knew it was because they were true leaders in their lives.

So, what about you? Are you already stepping into your true leadership, or are you ready to start? If you’re ready to fully embrace your potential as a leader, let’s explore how. Book a consultation call today and take the next step.