1.   Introduction: The Leadership Gap

The world doesn’t need more followers – it needs more leaders. Too many systems prioritize obedience over initiative, compliance over critical thinking. These systems can discourage people or keep them from stepping up to be leaders.

True impact comes from empowering others to lead, not just to follow. This means giving people opportunities to take responsibility and show initiative. It means giving people opportunities to step into leadership positions.

For example, the tagline for Toastmasters International is “Where Leaders Are Made”. This is a powerful mission and one I believe in. Toastmasters’ clubs and districts are built around encouraging people to become leaders at both the club and district levels. Every year we strive to encourage our members to step up and serve as either club officers or district leaders.

Why not do this in your organization or community? Encourage your team members to take on more responsibilities. Transform them from followers who wait to be told what to do, and into leaders who take the initiative.

2.   Why We Need to Build Leaders, Not Followers

Rapid change requires decentralized leadership. In today’s world, organizations and communities need adaptable, self-driven problem-solvers at every level. For example, when a customer has an issue, it helps to have the frontline staff able to step up and solve the customer’s problem without requiring a sign off by senior management.

I still remember a time when I was eating at McDonalds. I witnessed an angry customer approach the sales counter and demand a free meal. He believed he deserved it because the restaurant had messed up his order the last time he visited the restaurant. The employee proceeded to argue with the customer and was not empowered to solve the customer’s problem. If instead this person had been a leader, she could have taken initiative and found a solution instead of arguing with the customer.

Leadership creates multipliers. One empowered leader inspires and lifts others, multiplying growth and innovation. For example, in Toastmasters we elect division directors, who in turn recruit a team of area directors to work with them to support the clubs in their division. The area directors can in turn create leadership opportunities for the members in their areas, such as giving club officers in the area the opportunity to take on leadership roles at area speech contests.

Followers help sustain the status quo; leaders challenge it and improve it. For example, a follower will often live by the rules and not question why the organization does things the way it does. Leaders on the other hand are empowered to ask questions and offer alternatives to the way things are done. They can take initiative and try new approaches.

3.   The Characteristics of Emerging Leaders

When working to develop leaders in your community or organization, some key qualities to look for and nurture are initiative, ownership, curiosity, empathy, and vision. People with these qualities are good candidates to encourage and transform into leaders.

Initiative is the willingness to act without being told. If you remember the McDonalds story I mentioned earlier, the employee did not take initiative. Instead, she argued with the customer. If she had been a leader, she could have taken initiative and offered the customer a free meal. This would have solved the customer’s problem instead of leading to an argument witnessed by everyone in the restaurant.

Ownership is about accountability and personal responsibility. It means owning up to your mistakes and being honest about your failures. For example, one time I delegated an important role to another person without asking her first. This delegation was a decision made by a team I was leading, and this person was very upset about being assigned an important role without being asked first. She was so upset she was ready to quit the team.

I took ownership of my mistake and apologized for delegating this role to her without asking her first. I did not blame the team I was leading. I took full responsibility for my mistake. She appreciated the apology and agreed to take on the role the team had assigned her, and we went on to have a successful training event with her running the online meeting software for our event.

Curiosity is having a hunger to learn, improve, and explore new possibilities. These qualities make a personal teachable and they will be open to learning and growing. They will try new things, and this can expand their knowledge and capacity over time. This means they will get better over time instead of being set in their ways.

Empathy is the ability to connect and lead with emotional intelligence. A person with empathy can better understand what someone else is going through and can better support that person as a result.

Vision is having a sense of purpose and direction. A person with vision will have goals and will be self-motivated. This can make them a more effective leader.

4.   How to Empower Others to Lead

So how do you empower someone to become a leader? One way is to shift from telling to teaching. Don’t just give instructions – ask questions, encourage thinking, and provide frameworks. Give the person you are leading the opportunity to find his or her own solutions. Don’t just dictate a task and provide your own solution to the problem.

We can also create safe spaces for risk and growth. Empower emerging leaders to try, fail, and learn without fear of punishment. This includes being open about your own mistakes and being understanding when a team member makes a mistake. It means working with the person to find a solution when a mistake occurs instead of trying to place the blame for why the mistake occurred.

A key aspect of transforming followers into leaders is to give real responsibility, not just tasks. Let others lead meetings, make decisions, or run projects. Trust builds leadership. This includes letting people find their own solutions to the tasks and projects you assign to them and not just dictating how you want it to be done.

Another aspect of developing leaders is to model the way. The best leadership development happens through example. Lead with integrity, transparency, and purpose. When you always do what you say you will do and are open and honest with your teammates, they will be more likely to exhibit that behavior themselves.

5.   The Ripple Effect of Empowered Leadership

When you work to build leaders in your community or organization, it has a ripple effect on the entire organization. Teams become more innovative and self-sustaining. Communities grow stronger. Individuals step into their potential and inspire others.

For example, this year I am serving as Division I Director for my Toastmasters district, and I am leading a team of area directors. I instructed my area directors about the importance of running area speech contests and I left it to them to organize the area contest as they saw fit. I did offer my support if they needed it, but I gave them full responsibility to organize and run the contest themselves.

My area directors agreed to run a joint area contest for both of their areas, and they did a great job finding the contest officials and communicating with the speech contestants. On the day of the contest, everything ran smoothly, and we had a great contest with a good turn out. My area directors had full responsibility for the contest, and I simply offered support when they requested it. This allowed them to be leaders and to run the contest themselves.

My area directors also empowered members of their areas to be contest officials. They sought out volunteers who served as judges, ballot counters, and other contest officials.

6.   What You Can Do Today

Who are you currently mentoring or encouraging to lead? If you are a member of Toastmasters, are you always looking for potential leaders in your club and district? I did this myself when I saw Zac, a fellow Toastmaster from another club, attending a district conference. I thought about how Zac was willing to attend conferences, and I suspected he would be a great candidate for an area director position. This led me to approach Zac and invite him to be an area director. He agreed and this year he has been serving as a member of the Division I team. Not only that, but he has also done a great job as area director in fulfilling his responsibilities and supporting the clubs in his area.

Choose one person to empower with more trust, encouragement, or responsibility this week. Give him or her the opportunity to be the leader on a project or an initiative. Don’t just delegate a task to this person. Give this person the responsibility and authority to carry out that task as he or she sees fit.

Adopt the mindset: “My success is not just what I accomplish, but who I elevate.” Make your primary goal about empowering and developing other leaders. This is how you can give value to other people and increase the effectiveness of your team and/or organization.

7.   Conclusion: The Future Starts with Who We Empower

The tag line for Toastmasters International is “Where Leaders Are Made”. This is a powerful vision and one I embrace. I believe in empowering my fellow club and district members to be leaders. But this idea is not limited to Toastmasters. Any organization can work to transform its members from followers into leaders.

We don’t need more control – we need more leaders. People who don’t just direct others but support them as well. People who look to empower their team members and who aren’t afraid to let others take the lead.

We need to lead by lifting others. This means giving them the chance to take charge and be responsible. It means creating other leaders.

Leadership isn’t about titles – it’s about influence. And the greatest leaders create more leaders. Who will you empower today?