7 Small Leadership Challenges You Can Do Today
Welcome back to Lead Anyway. Today we’re going to talk about the Lead Anyway Action Plan. I’m going to give you the simplest and most powerful way to start leading immediately, because remember, leadership doesn’t begin when someone hands you a title. It begins the moment you decide to show up differently.
These next 7 actions are designed to shift your identity, elevate your behavior, and help you step into leadership right now, exactly where you are. Small actions with big impact.
Action 1, who do you want to be as a leader? This is where we reflect on the great leaders we’ve had, as well as the not so great leaders. Before you act like a leader, you must see yourself as one. If you don’t have the conviction that you’re a leader, no one else will either. Today I encourage you to answer these questions.
Who do I want to be as a leader?
What energy do I want to bring into the rooms?
How do I want people to describe me?
What do I value as a leader and what behaviors reflect this identity?
Your leadership identity becomes your internal compass. When you know who you’re becoming, your actions naturally shift to match it.
Action 2, ask one strategic question. Leaders don’t wait for answers, they ask better questions. Today, ask one strategic question, such as what’s the goal here? What would success look like? What’s the priority? What do we need to prepare for? Strategic questions show initiative, clarity, and foresight. This is how you start influencing without authority.
Action 3. Speak once in a meeting. Your voice is your leadership instrument. It must be used today. Contribute one thought in a meeting, an insight, observation, a suggestion, question, clarification, even. It doesn’t have to be profound. It just has to be visible. Leadership grows through consistent, confident expression.
Action 4. Communicate proactively. Don’t wait to be asked. Don’t wait for someone to check in. Don’t wait for misalignment to happen. Take one proactive communication step by sending a summary, clarifying expectations, updating your leader, confirming next steps, or realigning priorities. Proactive communication builds trust and signals readiness.
Action 5. Practice the pause. We’ve talked about this. This is your leadership power move. When pressure hits, when someone frustrates you, or when you’re about to respond emotionally, pause, take a breath, regulate. Choose intentionally. Today, practice the pause at least once and notice how it changes your clarity, your tone, and your outcome.
Action 6. Lead a moment. Leadership happens in moments, not just roles. Today, lead one moment. Examples. Start a conversation. Offer to organize something. Help solve a tension point. Support a teammate. Navigate a problem calmly. Step in when someone hesitates. This is micro leadership, the kind that builds momentum and influence very quickly.
Action 7. Reflect and document. How did I show up differently? Reflection transforms action into identity and increases self-awareness. Trust me, all great leaders reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and what they could have done differently. Ask yourself, what did I do differently this week and what changed in how I showed up? What did I notice about how people responded to me? What leadership behaviors felt natural? And what am I proud of? What do I want to repeat? This step cements that shift. This is where you integrate the new version of yourself.
By the end of these 7 actions, you’ll have acted like a leader, communicated like a leader, thought like a leader, shown up like a leader, and influenced like a leader. Not because someone gave you permission, but because you decided to lead anyway. I bring calm to the chaos, clarity to the journey, and confidence to your leadership, whether you have a team or a title. If you’re interested in learning more about my intentional leader program, schedule a call with me. The links in the show notes. Thanks for listening today. I hope you found this helpful, and remember, lead anyway, and you’ll get there sooner than you think.