Leadership and “Officers”: Responsibility vs. Power

A leader is best
When people barely know that she exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
Worst when they despise her.
‘Fail to honor people,
They fail to honor you;’
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, ‘We did this ourselves.’
( Lao Tzu)

In almost any group, certain members who know the most, do the most work, or have the most resonant speaking voices will be perceived as “leaders” and other people will look to them for guidance. This is bad if it makes others follow passively; it is good if it makes people feel confident and excited and encourages them to speak up and take action. This kind of leadership means communicating a sense of excitement and purpose to a group and thereby empowering everyone.

There is a difference between responsibility and power. There are legitimate responsibilities that need to be filled, and your group can designate certain people to fill them and call them “officers” if you like. However, nobody should be getting ordered around. Remember that you’re in a voluntary organization. People will do, and do well, just what they want to do. A good leader keeps that dynamic going, not with power over her or his fellow members, but by sharing power with all of them. A good leader serves the group, not themselves.

Whatever leadership means to you, it is vital that you practice it in a way that encourages others to become leaders, rather than filling a niche “at the top” and excluding them. This can happen even without an official hierarchy. If you’re not careful, a relatively unstructured group can become dominated by a few unofficial leaders.