No title will magically make you a leader. If you want to create change, start where you are.
Here’s what I’ve learned from three decades of building businesses: the moment you wait for permission to lead, you’ve already disqualified yourself. I’ve watched countless high-potential professionals stall their careers waiting for the “right” time or title, while others with less experience, but more initiative, leap ahead.
This creates what I call a “permission paradox” – the more you wait for permission to lead, the less likely you are to be seen as leadership material. It used to be that you’d get promoted, gain authority, then lead. But that was a different era.
Today’s reality is messier. Cross-functional teams, matrix organizations, and rapid pivots mean influence often matters more than authority.
I started my career without a mobile phone, email, or computer. Women were told to wear skirts and heels. Questioning the status quo wasn’t encouraged. Yet even then, I found ways to push boundaries by focusing on outcomes and taking initiative before I had formal authority.
What separates leaders from followers
Outcomes matter more than hours. The world doesn’t reward effort, it rewards results. Too often, we mistake activity for progress, believing that working long hours automatically earns rewards. But impact isn’t measured by hours logged or meetings attended. In every business, you’re either helping make money or helping spend it. Ask yourself what your role is, if you’re making a difference, and if you’re aligned to what matters.
When we founded Digivizer, we didn’t wait for perfect conditions; there was no investment, no finished product, and no complete market validation. We bootstrapped and pre-sold the idea, building it with our first customers as partners (they paid upfront, while we built as we delivered). We focused on the outcome for them, the impact we’d have on their businesses, not our own.
Lead with what you have. Leadership starts with what you know, what you’ve experienced, and how you apply that to what you care about pursuing. High-potential employees are always identified by curiosity, courage, desire to create impact, and empathy. These qualities you can cultivate from day one, and they don’t require credentials or perfect resumes.
Even at school, I was organizing events, rallying friends around causes, solving problems others ignored (which culminated in being elected School Captain). I wanted to make things better without waiting for someone else to tell me it was okay.
When I joined Macquarie Bank, I was younger, female, often the least experienced person in the room. The easy path would have been to stay quiet, observe, and wait my turn. Instead, I showed up with intent, listened deeply, asked questions that mattered, and drove impact before anyone asked me to. That approach opened doors to roles that didn’t exist previously and leading teams that didn’t exist previously – opportunities created by demonstrating value first. When you lead with impact, others follow.
Leadership begins when you take responsibility for your impact, your choices, and your growth. See the need, use what you have to step in, and lift others up as you go.
Curiosity is your competitive advantage. The most successful leaders I know don’t pretend to have all the answers. Instead, they ask better questions and see themselves as continuous learners. This mindset shift changes everything.
“Why can’t we do this?” becomes “What would it take for us to make this happen?”
“This is how it’s always been done” becomes “What if we tried something different?” or “How can we make this better?”.
Better questions create better conversations, shifting energy from defensiveness of old positions to possibility. ‘Not knowing’ is where breakthroughs begin.
Leadership is built moment by moment
People often ask how I became a leader, expecting a dramatic turning point or pivotal moment. The truth is more simple: it happened over years of consistently showing up, introducing change and new initiatives, stepping in when needed, learning from mistakes, and earning trust one interaction at a time. You quickly learn how to share the way to win that makes others want to follow and join too.
Success rarely follows a straight path, despite what career guides suggest. Today’s careers are shaped more by adaptability and diverse experiences than traditional ladders. Difficult moments shaped us most, pushing us to pause, reflect, and reimagine the way forward.
The longer you wait for formal authority to start leading, the less likely it is that you’ll ever receive it. Leadership means creating momentum, driving results, and inspiring others, no matter your role or title.
So start before you’re ready, and lead where you are. Remember, no one’s coming to give you permission. It’s up to you to lead anyway.