A few weeks ago, I walked into a building filled with more than 500 students at the University of Memphis Fall Greek Retreat. I was there to lead a workshop for about 50 student leaders on something I’ve spent a lot of time talking about throughout my career: understanding who you are, what you bring to the table and how you show up.
The workshop was called “Own Your Narrative: Crafting a Powerful Personal Brand for Career Success.” While much of the conversation centered around personal branding and career development, so much of what we talked about was really about leadership.
Because leadership starts long before someone gives you a title.
Learning to Own Your Story
We talked about identity, confidence, visibility and the way other people experience you. We talked about careers and interviews, but we also went deeper than what belongs on a resume or LinkedIn profile.
Who are you when you walk into a room? What do you stand for? What experiences have shaped the way you think? And are you waiting for someone else to recognize what you bring before you’re willing to own it yourself?
Those questions matter whether you’re 20 years old and preparing for your first career opportunity or 20 years into a career and leading an entire organization.
You Don’t Need a Title to Start Leading
One of the things I enjoyed most about that room was watching these students engage with the conversation. They weren’t waiting until graduation, their first management position or some future version of themselves to begin thinking about how they wanted to show up.
They were already leading.
That’s something I think we sometimes get backwards. We treat leadership as something that begins when we’re promoted. Someone gives us a new title, puts people under our supervision and suddenly we’re supposed to know how to lead.
But the foundation is being built much earlier. It’s built when you learn to speak up, take responsibility and understand your strengths. It’s built when you learn how your actions affect the people around you. And it’s built when you stop trying to become the person you think you’re supposed to be and start becoming more intentional about the leader you already are.
That’s what I saw happening in that room.
A big thank you to MK Tyler, Student Leadership & Involvement, and the University of Memphis for inviting me to be part of the retreat and spend time with the next generation of leaders.
That day reinforced something I believe strongly:
Leadership doesn’t begin when someone hands you a title. It begins with how you choose to show up long before they do.
Sandy Adams 