CITIZEN LEADERSHIP: HOW TO LEAD WITHOUT HOLDING OFFICE

Citizen leadership is about taking ownership of your space, argues LINUS OKORIE

We’ve been sold a narrow idea of leadership—one that wears a suit, wins elections, gives speeches, and the ‘boss’ with a nameplate. But the truth remains that leadership is a daily experience, and this happens beyond the boardroom. It begins in neighborhoods, on sidewalks, in WhatsApp groups, and in everyday conversations.

But this comes with its own problem: many people disqualify themselves from leading because they don’t hold office. You see injustice and wait for someone else to fix it. You know your community is hurting, but you figure, “I’m not in power.” You scroll past issues you care about because “I’m just one person.” This quiet resignation makes it dangerous. While you are waiting for a title, other people, including good or bad, are already shaping your world.

It’s time to reclaim the word leader. This is not with slogans or protests, but with proper orientation and complementary actions. Not someday, but now. In this post, you will learn how to lead from where you are, with what you have—even without a title. Because citizen leadership is not a theory. It’s a practice. And the world needs more of it.

Forget office and fanfare. Leadership begins with initiative. When you choose to speak up, organize, act, or even refuse to be silent, you are exercising leadership. And this does not require permission. Malala Yousafzai didn’t wait to be elected. She just knew her voice mattered, even when the stakes were deadly. Today, she influences global education policy, and she started as a teenage blogger under Taliban rule.

What you ignore, you permit. What you support, you amplify. Every tweet, every conversation, every decision about what to engage or avoid is shaping society. So, here’s the real question: What are you normalizing by your silence?

Leadership is not always loud, but it is present. Attend that town hall, even if it feels boring. Sign that petition, even if it’s a small cause. Join a local group tackling street flooding, poor schooling, or women’s safety in your area.

You are not just participating but you are building the culture of civic responsibility. And when citizens care consistently, politicians start paying attention. You can do this online too. Use your platforms wisely. Raise awareness. Educate others. Don’t just repost drama; post direction.

And read. Read beyond headlines. Leadership starts with understanding the issues at stake. Ignorance might be convenient, but it costs you and your community in the long run. It is important to remember that silence is not neutrality, but surrender.

Let’s stop thinking impact has to be huge to be real. Start a book club that reads on civic duty. Volunteer to mentor kids after school. Organize a small sanitation drive in your neighborhood. Don’t think it is too small, because it is not at all. These actions normalize care, build community, and inspire others to step up.

Take Tunde Onakoya, for example. He didn’t wait for a government initiative or a massive grant. He simply brought chess boards to the streets of Lagos and taught kids in underserved communities how to play. No fancy office. Just belief in their potential and a willingness to show up.

That quiet act, teaching chess in slums sparked a movement, which is now called Chess in Slums Africa. Tunde didn’t just teach a game; he built confidence, discipline, and a sense of identity in kids who had been written off. His 60-hour chess marathon in Times Square raised global awareness and support for education in Africa. But it all started with one board and one kid.

Think of Wangari Maathai. She did not set out to win a Nobel Prize. She just started planting trees with women in Kenya. That grassroots movement grew into the Green Belt Movement, empowering thousands and influencing environmental policy. It all started with one woman and one shovel.

Sean Porter, the probation officer at a juvenile detention center in California. He saw young men society had written off; teens trapped in cycles of crime and violence. Instead of giving them more punishment, he gave them purpose through football.

He coached them, trained them, believed in them; sometimes more than they believed in themselves. Many of those boys went on to finish school, avoid prison, and start over. He didn’t do this using either a national platform or a political office. He was just one man who said, “Not on my watch.” Leadership does not always start with a mic. Sometimes it starts with a why.

Here’s a truth many overlook: leadership runs on relationships, and this is based on trust. Not power or titles. Start with your circle. Can people count on you? Do they seek your perspective, your help, your ability to connect others? That’s leadership.

Share what you know. Connect someone to a job lead. Recommend a mentor. Pull others into conversations that matter. Leadership is not just about making moves, but about moving people. And if you really want to measure your influence, ask yourself: Who follows you when there’s nothing in it for them?

Real leadership gets uncomfortable. It means calling out injustice, even when it’s unpopular. It means saying no to norms that hurt people. You might be the only one at work who calls out a toxic policy. The only parent at PTA meetings asking real questions. The only youth in your place of worship challenging harmful traditions. Do it anyway.

Change doesn’t happen when everyone agrees. It happens when someone dares to disagree out loud. Rosa Parks was not famous when she refused to give up her seat. She was just fed up. That one act shook a nation and sparked a movement.

Ask yourself: If not you, then who? If not now, then when? You don’t need a title to have a mission. You don’t need a podium to speak up. And you don’t need an office to lead. You just need a willingness to care out loud.

Citizen leadership is about taking ownership of your space. This may involve your street, your voice, your vote, your circle. It’s not flashy. It’s not always applauded. But it’s how real change begins. Don’t wait for the next election. Start showing up as a leader now. Your community is already waiting. What’s one small action you can take this week to lead where you are?

 Okorie MFR is a leadership development expert spanning 30 years in the research, teaching and coaching of leadership in Africa and across the world. He is the CEO of the GOTNI Leadership Centre.