Leadership Isn’t About Titles—It’s About Influence

My daughter, Madina, is 8 years old. And while she doesn’t hold any official leadership positions (yet), she leads in the way that truly matters—by example.

✨ When she was a toddler, she wore fancy dresses and tiaras to daycare. Soon, the other girls followed—including one whose parents usually dressed her in gender-neutral clothing.

✨ In kindergarten, her teacher emailed me after the first week: "Madina is a strong leader."

✨ In grade 1, she befriended Gordon, a boy with special needs who was non-verbal and often played alone. She didn’t see his differences—she just saw a friend. Her teacher later told me that, because of Madina, other kids started playing with him too.

✨ At out-of-school care, she taught a kindergartener how to do the monkey bars, encouraging her every step of the way—even when she cried.

✨ And just this past weekend, at the swimming pool, her friend (who has struggled to pass level 1) asked Madina (who’s in level 6) if she could teach her how to swim.

What strikes me most is that none of this was intentional. Madina never set out to be a leader. She never tried to influence others.

But she did.

Because leadership isn’t about telling people what to do. It’s about showing them what’s possible.

She reminds me that the most powerful form of leadership isn’t in big speeches or grand gestures—it’s in small, everyday moments of kindness, courage, and inclusion.

It makes me wonder—how often do we overcomplicate leadership? How often do we think it has to come with a title, a position, or authority? When really, it’s just about doing the right thing…and inspiring others to do the same.