Leadership by any given definition is nothing more than simply your level of influence on someone else.  Unbeknownst to most people it is not a title or position given by others.  Being an entry-level worker does not make you any less of a leader than a CEO, and certainly having the title of CEO does not necessarily make you a strong leader.  You can be a powerful leader right where you are, and it is all based on your influence on others.  Dr. John C. Maxwell wrote a great book on becoming and being a leader called The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, or Mark Sanborn’s book You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader.

One man who, through his influence, has made an indelible impact on those he is around is Tony Dungy, head coach of the World Champion Indianapolis Colts.  Of my observations of Coach Dungy, I have noticed that he has two powerful traits that every leader should have in their toolbox if they want to make an impact on others.  Dungy is able to influence his players, fans, coaches, and NFL through his unique style of leadership - he serves those he leads.  He is a role model, and he affects his players by serving their interests rather than imposing his rule.  He lives his life by the example: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.  Living his leadership by example is the loudest way for Dungy to be an effective leader. 

The two traits that Dungy carries in his leadership toolbox are that he is an Agent of Change and his leadership is a Catalyst.  Two ‘Free’ traits everyone should posses.  First, Dungy is an Agent of Change.  An Agent of Change is a person who intentionally causes a behavioral change.  Dungy infects his personnel with his servant leadership and causes them to have an intense desire to follow him - this provides the origin of the behavioral change.  Secondly, his leadership becomes the catalyst.  A Catalyst is a person or thing that precipitates an event or change.  When these two traits are combined - like mixing Mentos and Coke in a science experiment they cause a powerful reaction.  When it comes to leadership, the proper action can cause a powerful reaction in others.  But - like Mentos and Coke, each one needs the other to create the reaction - An Agent of Change needs a Catalyst as I will explain with the following calculations:

• Agent of Change - Catalyst = Direction without Propulsion
• Catalyst  - Agent of Change = Propulsion without a Destination
• Agent of Change + Catalyst = Rapid Acceleration toward your Vision or desired destination

An Agent of Change provides the direction and causes behavioral change.  While the Catalyst that helps you reach the goal is the passion or fuel that gets you there.  Try adding these two traits to your leadership toolbox and see what they can do for you.

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