This month at Ripple Headquarters our theme is leadership…specifically Ripple Leadership. What is Ripple leadership you ask? Maybe you didn’t, but I’m going to tell you anyway.

Ripple leadership is equal parts Ripple + courage and conviction to step outside your (safe and comfortable) box to make a difference.

By my own definition, the Ripple is any action, big or small, that makes an impact on another person. So when you combine those actions with stepping out of the box to impact another person, a team, a community, or the world, that’s Ripple Leadership.

You don’t have to be in charge to lead.

I think leadership gets lauded as some anointed power that is bestowed upon only the worthy. Sure, that happens in business a lot. Don’t get me started on how many people have been promoted beyond their level of competence (including me). But leadership in my humble opinion is a responsibility not limited to just business - it applies to life.

But let’s talk about business first. If you happen to be the CEO of a company, a manager, or a department head, the expectation is for you to lead your company to the success promised land. That’s an implied part of the job description.

But it also means you should be the most engaged employee and focused on serving those you depend on to drive that success, doing everything in your power to make those employees feel seen, heard, valued, and understood. You are their advocate, their cheerleader, their motivator and their navigator. Your entire job is to make everyone else’s job easier with clear direction and support and by taking down unnecessary obstacles, slaying the challenges before they impact the team’s momentum.

Even if you don’t have a title that implies you’re a leader, you can always be a Ripple Leader.

We can lead by how we treat others - colleagues, customers and prospects, friends, neighbors and even complete strangers. Leadership is how we go above and beyond to support and help people when we can. It’s through an intentional approach to doing what most will not.

You’ve probably heard the phrase lead by example. It’s a good one and the ultimate baseline to guide and direct your daily actions. I challenge you to Ripple by example. Spread the wisdom of The Ripple Effect by being the first one to step up, the one who always asks how to help. Risk starting a conversation with someone new. Be more interested in someone’s story than whether they might be a prospect for your business. Your Ripple Leadership may just inspire someone else to create a few positive Ripples of their own.

What will you do today to demonstrate Ripple Leadership?

I’d love to know. Share in the comments below. And let me know what else on this topic might interest you. It might be something I cover in a future post or on an upcoming episode of the podcast.

Ripple On!!!