Do you behave like this type of leader?

Imagine you’re walking down the hall at the office and see a food wrapper on the ground.

Do you ignore it or pick it up and throw it in the garbage?

And what does this have to do with leadership?

There are two types of leaders. The first is the leader with a capital “L”. This Leader has formal authority and a title, like “Head of X” or “Director of Y”.

And then there’s the leader with a lowercase “l”.

This leader takes pride in the behaviors that don’t often get singled out but set the culture for teams and organizations. The kind of behavior the world needs more of.

The lowercase leader would pick up the food wrapper and throw it in the garbage. Here are other examples of how a lowercase leader behaves:

• When you see somebody being mistreated, you speak up for them with confidence and kindness.
• When you run into a new hire, you make an effort to get to know them and introduce them to others in the office.
• When you hear about a problem another team is facing, you reach out with resources and connections that might help.
• When you see a colleague or team member behaving like a lowercase leader, you say a few words of appreciation.

Anyone at any level can behave like a leader.?

When you act like a lowercase leader from wherever you are in the organization, you’re giving everyone around you permission to do the same.

If you do have a formal title, acting like a lowercase leader makes you stand out among your peers because not everyone in a seat of authority demonstrates this kind of leadership.

(If this kind of behavior isn't valued by your organization, it may be time to reconsider whether it's the right place for you.)

Just don’t make the mistake of waiting to be rewarded.

Lowercase leadership behavior isn’t loud or flashy, so it doesn't attract a lot of kudos and public recognition. It’s all about taking pride in doing the right thing.

So don’t waste any time waiting for outside validation. Trust that the right people will notice your leadership behavior.

What will you do today to be a lowercase leader?