Leadership is a nebulous concept that is still being thought through at the highest levels of the business world. But leadership can be a very tactical concept that doesn’t have anything to do with an org chart or a “C” in your title. Sometimes leadership is simply helping to get things done when no one else is taking charge.
Leadership can be as simple as calling a meeting because everyone is confused but no one is willing to speak up. Leadership is calling up the team and saying “here’s what we have to do” and then helping do it. Leadership is convincing people that no matter how bad things seem right now, they can be weathered.
This is most applicable in the situations where you least want to step up. Leading in the face of not just adversity – but in the face of ambivalence is the best example of tactical leadership. Especially if you are doing it to simply help your colleagues with nothing in it for yourself.