Sparking Leadership #3: What if the most influential person on your team isn’t even your boss?

📖 Story time: A few years ago, I worked at a tech company headquartered in London. One of our most respected colleagues wasn’t a founder, a director, or a people manager. He was a senior engineer based in Greece - the most experienced person in the company, both in tenure and age.

Titles came and went. Leadership changed hands more than once. But this person? He was a constant. He was trusted by every single team. He was asked to weigh in on critical decisions. He even conducted final interviews on behalf of the CTO.

Here's the part I admired the most about him: he didn't need hierarchy to lead. In fact, he never even wanted a senior title. His wisdom, integrity and willingness to mentor and to always share knowledge made him not only essential to the organization but a true leader in the eyes of everyone.

👉 Lesson learned: Leadership is defined by behavior, not title.

As Kouzes & Posner write in The Leadership Challenge: “Leadership is everyone’s business".

Here's what true leadership looks like beyond job titles:

✔️ Taking ownership of problems.

✔️ Being a steady presence when things get chaotic.

✔️ Listening with undivided attention.

✔️ Speaking up with solutions instead of complaints.

✔️ Always learning and maintaining your intellectual humility.

✔️ Acting in service of the bigger picture, not personal credit.

None of these behaviors require a promotion, just a strong set of values.

Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely! And here's why:

✅ You build trust and credibility. People begin to rely on you. And when trust is high, so is your influence.

✅ You stand out for the right reasons. Leaders are noticed - not for titles, but for presence and action.

✅ You grow faster. Taking initiative stretches your skills, your mindset, and your visibility.

✅ You become part of key decisions. Influence starts with being the person others turn to.

✅ You future-proof your career. The world changes fast, but leadership is always in demand.

TL;DR:

Leadership is more about behavior than job title. And the people who practice it daily are the ones others trust, follow, and remember.

So, lead from where you are. Because how you show up today shapes the opportunities you’ll have tomorrow.

😉 Bonus points if you can tell me why Samwise Gamgee is this week's GIF (yes, it's related to the topic).

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🌟Sparking Leadership is a series of weekly posts on #leadership. I’ve been writing about leadership for some time now - sharing inspiration, strategies, and stories with my network. Now, I’m giving this rhythm a name and a little spark of its own. Follow along if you're interested in leading with more clarity, courage, and intention. And if there’s a leadership challenge you’d love to see tackled, let me know. In the meantime, lead with spark!