Discover why leadership is an action not a position. Learn proven strategies to build influence, drive change, and lead effectively regardless of your title or role.
Written by Laura Bouttell
Leadership is fundamentally about behaviour and influence, not titles or hierarchical positions. True leaders emerge through consistent actions that inspire others, solve problems, and create positive change—regardless of where they sit on an organisational chart.
This principle, popularised by leadership experts like John Maxwell and backed by decades of research, challenges traditional notions of command-and-control management. In today's dynamic business environment, the most effective leaders are those who understand that authentic leadership stems from what you do, not what your business card says.
Consider Admiral Horatio Nelson, whose leadership at the Battle of Trafalgar wasn't defined by his rank alone, but by his ability to inspire fierce loyalty through personal courage and genuine care for his sailors. Similarly, modern business leaders like Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia demonstrate that leadership influence often transcends formal authority structures.
The evidence is compelling: organisations with leaders who focus on action-based leadership report 2.3 times higher employee engagement and 18% better financial performance than those relying solely on positional authority, according to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace research.
Leadership as action means consistently demonstrating behaviours that move people, projects, and organisations forward. It's about taking initiative, making difficult decisions, and influencing outcomes through personal credibility rather than hierarchical power.
This concept distinguishes between management and leadership. Management involves overseeing processes and people within established systems. Leadership, however, involves creating change, inspiring vision, and influencing others to achieve extraordinary results—activities that anyone can perform regardless of their formal role.
Key characteristics of action-based leadership include:
Traditional organisational structures emerged from military and industrial models where clear hierarchies were essential for efficiency and control. These structures worked well in stable environments with predictable challenges. However, modern business complexity demands more adaptive leadership approaches.
The shift toward action-based leadership gained momentum during the 1980s as companies like 3M and Johnson & Johnson discovered that innovation often came from employees without formal leadership titles. These organisations began recognising and rewarding leadership behaviours regardless of position, creating cultures where anyone could lead initiatives and drive change.
Research by Harvard Business School's Rosabeth Moss Kanter revealed that companies encouraging action-based leadership throughout their organisations were significantly more adaptable during market disruptions and economic downturns.
Positional leadership creates several inherent weaknesses that can undermine organisational effectiveness. When leadership is viewed as something reserved for those with specific titles, organisations miss opportunities to harness the full potential of their talent.
Primary limitations include:
When organisations rely heavily on positional authority, they inadvertently create environments where people focus more on political navigation than value creation. Employees spend energy managing upward rather than driving results, leading to bureaucratic inefficiencies.
This dynamic is particularly problematic during times of rapid change. While senior leaders debate strategic directions, front-line employees who understand customer needs and market shifts may lack the perceived authority to implement necessary adaptations quickly.
The British retail sector provides compelling examples. Companies like Marks & Spencer struggled during digital transformation partly because traditional hierarchies prevented rapid decision-making, while more agile competitors with flatter structures and action-oriented cultures gained market share.
Influence operates through six primary mechanisms, according to Robert Cialdini's research: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity. Action-based leaders leverage these principles naturally through their behaviours rather than relying solely on formal authority.
When someone consistently delivers results, helps others succeed, and demonstrates expertise, they build what researchers call "idiosyncratic credits"—earned influence that allows them to lead even when they lack formal power. This psychological currency often proves more powerful than positional authority because it's based on demonstrated value rather than organisational structure.
Credibility forms the foundation of action-based leadership. It develops through what Stephen Covey termed the "character-competence continuum"—the intersection of moral authority and professional capability.
Character elements include:
Competence elements include:
Leaders who demonstrate both character and competence earn trust that transcends formal authority structures, enabling them to influence outcomes and inspire others regardless of their position.
Initiative-taking distinguishes action-based leaders from passive employees waiting for direction. This involves identifying opportunities, proposing solutions, and beginning implementation—even when success isn't guaranteed and formal approval hasn't been secured.
Successful initiative requires what researchers call "intelligent risk-taking." This means thoroughly analysing potential outcomes, building stakeholder support, and creating contingency plans while maintaining the courage to move forward despite uncertainty.
Effective initiative strategies include:
Accountability means taking responsibility for outcomes within your sphere of influence, even when you lack formal authority over all variables affecting those outcomes. This mindset shift transforms how people approach challenges and opportunities.
Action-based leaders practice "extreme ownership"—a concept popularised by former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. They ask "What can I do differently?" rather than "Who else is responsible for this problem?" This approach not only solves immediate issues but also builds influence by demonstrating reliability and solution-focused thinking.
True accountability involves three key behaviours: accepting responsibility for both successes and failures, learning from outcomes to improve future performance, and helping others succeed rather than protecting personal interests.
The most sustainable influence comes from consistently creating value for others and the organisation. This requires understanding what different stakeholders need and finding ways to deliver meaningful contributions that advance shared objectives.
Value creation strategies include:
Value creation must be genuine and sustainable. Short-term political manoeuvring may temporarily increase influence, but lasting leadership impact requires consistent contribution to organisational success.
Communication becomes more critical when you lack positional authority to compel action. Action-based leaders master the art of influence through persuasion rather than command.
Key communication principles include:
Effective leaders also master different communication styles for different situations. They know when to be direct versus collaborative, when to use formal versus informal channels, and how to adapt their approach based on audience and context.
Leading without authority requires building networks of support that extend beyond formal reporting relationships. This involves identifying key stakeholders, understanding their interests, and finding ways to align your initiatives with their objectives.
Coalition building strategies include:
At British Telecom during the 1990s transformation, middle managers like Sarah Chen (name changed for privacy) demonstrated action-based leadership by initiating cross-functional teams to improve customer service processes. Without formal authority over other departments, she built influence through expertise, relationship building, and consistent value delivery.
Chen identified that customer complaints were increasing due to poor coordination between technical and billing departments. Rather than waiting for senior leadership to address the issue, she organised informal lunch meetings with key people from both areas. Through these conversations, she developed solutions that reduced complaint resolution time by 40%.
Her success led to formal recognition and eventually a promotion, but the real impact was organisational. The collaborative approach she pioneered became a model for other process improvements, demonstrating how action-based leadership can create lasting change.
In smaller organisations, action-based leadership often emerges from employees who take ownership of critical business challenges. Consider the example of a marketing coordinator at a Manchester-based manufacturing firm who noticed declining customer retention rates.
Without being asked, she conducted customer interviews, analysed purchasing patterns, and developed a retention programme that included personalised communication and loyalty incentives. The initiative required collaboration with sales, operations, and finance—departments she had no formal authority over.
Through careful stakeholder management and by demonstrating early wins, she gained support for the programme. Customer retention improved by 25% within six months, generating significant revenue impact. Her action-based approach not only solved a business problem but also established her as a leader within the organisation.
Organisations serious about developing action-based leadership must align their systems and processes to encourage and reward initiative-taking behaviours. This requires fundamental changes to how performance is measured, recognised, and developed.
Key system modifications include:
Companies like Google and 3M have famously allowed employees to spend time on self-directed projects, leading to innovations like Gmail and Post-it Notes. These programmes work because they provide structure for action-based leadership while maintaining accountability for results.
Cultural change requires consistent messaging and behaviour modelling from all levels of leadership. When senior executives demonstrate action-based leadership principles themselves, it creates permission for others to do the same.
Cultural development strategies include:
The transformation at companies like Southwest Airlines demonstrates how culture change can unleash action-based leadership. By empowering employees to solve customer problems directly, they created an environment where everyone acts like a leader.
Many organisations inadvertently create barriers to action-based leadership through policies, procedures, and cultural norms that emphasise hierarchy over results. Understanding these obstacles is the first step in overcoming them.
Common barriers include:
Overcoming these barriers often requires persistent effort and strategic thinking. Action-based leaders learn to work within constraints while gradually building influence to change systems from within.
Individual barriers to action-based leadership often stem from mindset limitations that can be addressed through conscious development effort.
Critical mindset shifts include:
These shifts require practice and often support from mentors or coaches who can provide feedback and encouragement during the development process.
Action-based leadership requires a specific set of skills that can be developed through focused effort and practice. These competencies span emotional, intellectual, and social domains.
Core competencies include:
Skill development requires deliberate practice with real-world application. The most effective approach combines learning with immediate implementation in current role responsibilities.
Development exercises include:
The key is consistent practice with progressive challenges that build confidence and capability over time.
Traditional leadership metrics often focus on team productivity and financial results, which may not fully capture the impact of action-based leadership. Broader measures provide better insight into leadership effectiveness.
Comprehensive success metrics include:
Action-based leadership creates career opportunities that may not follow traditional promotion paths. Success should be measured by increasing influence, expanding opportunities, and growing impact on organisational outcomes.
Career progression for action-based leaders often includes increased responsibility, project leadership roles, cross-functional assignments, and recognition as a key contributor to organisational success. These opportunities may lead to formal promotions, but the primary value is the expanding capacity to create positive change.
Leadership effectiveness in modern organisations increasingly depends on the ability to influence outcomes through action rather than position. As business environments become more complex and change accelerates, organisations need leaders at every level who can take initiative, solve problems, and drive results.
The evidence is clear: companies that foster action-based leadership throughout their organisations achieve better employee engagement, higher innovation rates, and superior financial performance. For individual professionals, developing action-based leadership capabilities creates career opportunities and personal satisfaction that transcend traditional hierarchical advancement.
The transformation from position-dependent to action-based leadership requires both individual commitment and organisational support. Success comes from consistently demonstrating leadership behaviours, building influence through value creation, and maintaining focus on results rather than recognition.
As Admiral Nelson demonstrated at Trafalgar, true leadership emerges in moments when action matters more than authority. Today's business leaders who embrace this principle will find themselves better positioned to navigate uncertainty, drive change, and create lasting organisational impact—regardless of what their business cards say.
Start by taking initiative on small projects within your current role, volunteering for cross-functional teams, and consistently delivering high-quality work. Focus on solving problems that affect your team or organisation, and communicate your actions and results to build credibility. Leadership is demonstrated through reliability, problem-solving, and helping others succeed, not through formal authority.
Leadership without authority focuses on influence through expertise, value creation, and collaboration rather than control. Bossy behaviour typically involves giving orders without earning the right to do so, while action-based leadership involves building relationships, understanding stakeholder needs, and creating win-win solutions that advance shared objectives.
Address resistance by first understanding the underlying concerns and motivations of resistant stakeholders. Build support gradually by demonstrating small wins, involving others in solution development, and clearly communicating how changes will benefit them. Focus on building relationships and trust before proposing significant changes.
Yes, but it requires more careful navigation and relationship building. Start by excelling in your current role, then gradually expand your influence through expertise development and value creation. Work within the system while demonstrating results that senior leaders value, and build coalitions of support among peers and stakeholders.
Building credibility typically takes 6-18 months of consistent demonstration of leadership behaviours, depending on the organisation and your starting position. Focus on reliability, expertise development, and value creation while maintaining patience for gradual influence building. Small wins and consistent behaviour matter more than dramatic gestures.
Continue focusing on value creation and building influence with peers and stakeholders. Recognition often follows results, but the primary goal should be creating positive impact rather than seeking acknowledgment. Document your contributions and results for future opportunities, and consider whether the organisation's culture aligns with your leadership development goals.
Start with initiatives clearly within your sphere of influence, then gradually expand as you build credibility and support. Communicate your intentions with relevant stakeholders, seek input before taking action that affects others, and always frame initiatives in terms of organisational benefit rather than personal advancement.