How do I lead an organisation I am currently the president of when I am not qualified or confident enough?

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A2A, sorry, but I’m not much of a leader. I’m what’s called an ‘individual contributor’, IC for short. Managers will take my suggestions into consideration but I have no leadership or even management responsibilities.

Some friends tell me I’m a natural leader but I only see that as I have an ability to inspire. Leadership is way more than that. So I’ll talk a little bit about what I know about inspiration.

Lots of people out there have no hope. Inspiration is the art of giving them hope. A couple of years ago I let myself get roped into a network marketing gig. The only thing that made me willing to do that was the charisma of the big boss.

After weeks of getting to know the field, the organization, and the people in it, I realized that inspiring people is a skill. You keep everything positive and make everything relatable. Never think something is impossible even when it is. Believe against everything that success is possible.

I am a coder, a programmer, someone who supposedly lives in a world of the real. All of this success mindset was brand new to me. I am somebody who understands that if you are not successful, there is a reason why and you should work to understand that reason.

The people I met in that episode, believed in the more powerful truth that belief is more powerful than reality. Does that make them ultimately more successful? Not necessarily. Do they make more money than I did at their age? Very probably.

They don’t want to know why something was unsuccessful. They just move on to something new. Just keep trying until something works. It’s a way more powerful idea than what I can bring myself to do.

Probably why I’m still an IC and not a leader.