You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference

by Mark Sanborn

In his inspiring new book, You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader , Mark Sanborn, the author of the national bestseller The Fred Factor , shows how each of us can be a leader in our daily lives and make a positive difference, whatever our title or position.

Through the stories of a number of unsung heroes, Sanborn reveals the keys each one of us can use to improve our organizations and enhance our careers.

Genuine leadership – leadership with a “little l ”, as he puts it, is not conferred by a title, or limited to the executive suite. Rather, it is shown through our everyday actions and the way we influence the lives of those around us. Among the qualities that genuine leaders

• Acting with purpose rather than getting bogged down by mindless activity
• Caring about and listening to others
• Looking for ways to encourage the contributions and development of others rather than focusing solely on personal achievements
• Creating a legacy of accomplishment and contribution in everything they do

As readers across the country discovered in The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn has an unparalleled ability to explain fundamental business and leadership truths through simple stories and anecdotes. You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader offers an inspiring message to anyone who wants to take control of their life and make a positive difference.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Management, Professional Development

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Mark Sanborn is an international known author, motivational speaker, and the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea studio for leadership development. He gives nearly one hundred presentations each year on leadership, team building, customer service, and mastering change. Mark and his family live near Denver, Colorado.

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this book by a friend who knows I'm interested in servant leadership. To be completely honest, I hated this book and the only reason I finished it is because it's only 100 pages with pretty large print. It's just a series of unrelated anecdotes and cliches. Very little in this book seems non-obvious to me. It also seems pretty poorly researched - at one point he talks about the Rosa Parks myth, that she basically just got tired one day and accidentally changed the world, which isn't the case at all. There are far better books about business leadership - skip this one.

[Hiram Michael Skaggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sanborn pretty much just name drops other more famous authors and leaders and claims everyone can be and is potentially a leader. Seems pretty convenient for him to sell more books. I’m not usually a cynic like this, but I just hated this book. It was poorly written and fatally flawed.

[Dunori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad... I found myself having trouble remembering alot from it once I finished which may be attributable to both my aging brain power but also from nothing major in the book standing out to me very much... probably because many of the examples & advice on leading I already convey regularly I believe. However, despite that, I recall it being written in a way that it didn't necessarily read like old news to me. I think the author could have probably titled the book something else (how it flows makes me actually wonder if he named it before he wrote it and wanted to keep this name no matter what the content wound up like) because so much of what is advocated in it is applicable outside of work, which is where I presume the author foresaw going but didn't exactly in my opinion.

[Krishna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader" is an interesting book to read and it makes some difference in every one,and it’s all about How anyone anywhere can make a positive difference.In this book Mark Sanborn given few stories of untiled leaders and their success. One of the story is about vice president of multinational tech company and Bob, when vice president get a difficult mission, he was looking for a leader to achieve that mission, one of the employee Bob was came up with an idea to achieve that mission, then vice president realized, to make things doesn’t need to be a leader even untitled leader also can do.

"Leader to be a passion for life and positive influence, they believe they can positively shape their life and careers and they lead through the relationship with the people and they can collaborate rather than control”.

I did like some of the quotations such as “The more you put into it the more reflect back to you”, ”Influence and Inspiration comes from the person not from the title”,”Daily actions makes significant impact on our lives”,”Act boldly and doing something is better than doing nothing".

Daily actions are significant impact on your life and some of the volunteers will work and serve to others, they won’t get any profit ,they just do for a passion and to influence the people, and they are important for high profile tasks.

Most of the people with think greatness is what we get in our life,but the author opinion about true greatness is what we give in our life and it’s a contribution through action.

One of the story is Barbara stammer help babi marry build the largest franchise system in the United States with 55 hundred employees, one hundred thirty plus stores, hundred million dollars in revenue but Barbara doesn’t need a title to do the things.Genuine leaders make things better not for themselves but for others.

Small improvement makes enormous difference,in the late 1980 in portland James order a cup of coffee and here employee had washed the cup over and over again at way customer carefully held the coffee cups even double cup because beverages are so hot, the way stream is coming out from coffee cup changes the James to design the logo for Java with coffee cup with a stream and today revenue is 700 millions units annually again made the big difference by the untitled leader. Starbucks given coffee crazy with small improvement then again made an enormous difference with an untitled leaders.

Mahatma Gandhi said, be the change wish to see in the world, to truly lead into make a different in the world you must alway start with yourself, and really a person want make a money and to become a better parent, spouse, and employee take an active role in the community or in a group.

How to keep ourself motivated,here few techniques discovered by author over the year used by the the titled and untitled leader 1)Make time to reflect 2)Remembered a dream 3)Mere those who successfully around you 4)We treat to advance 5) Mentor someone else 6) Enjoy the Journey.

In sports MVP stands for Most value player,for leader author used MVP differently means Most Valuable and Profitable.

Among few principles given by author,according to principle 3 Power with people- getting leadership is extraordinary performance from the ordinary people.

Mark Sanborn given some of the differences between leader and managers: Managers have employees, Leaders win followers, Managers react to changes, Leader create a change, Managers have good ideas Leaders implement them.Managers direct groups Leaders create teams. Managers take credit Leaders take responsibility.

Author said everyone makes a difference but some people makes positive difference and some makes negative difference, and doing positive difference makes you a leader.

Its really interesting book and I recommend everyone to read. Thanking you!

[Tyler Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and felt like the author offered good insight into leadership. Many of the aspects of leadership included in the book were unsurprising and pretty self-explanatory, but the author often said them concisely and with anecdotes that help to make them more clear. There were also some really beneficial nuggets of wisdom. I also appreciated that this felt like it spoke less of a leadership "over" and more of a leadership "with." My main critique were the times where the author's "everyone is a leader" mantra fell a little flat for me with some of the examples given in the book, but I overall feel like this is a valuable message and one that is made well more often than not in this book.

A few other quotes that stood out:
True leadership is "an invitation to greatness that we extend to others."
"Integrity is measured by the distance between your lips and your life (37)."
The author said that leaders look for solutions, not just problems. Solutions are what leaders find, naming problems is just complaining.
Moments like graduation, marriage and retirement are often called defining moments, but in reality they are commemorative moments (eg graduation commemorates how you spent the past 4 years). So each moment we live helps to define us so therefore, we must live each moment intentionally.

[Beth Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how this book uses stories to convey the message. Through short stories and emotion, several new skills have been learned and will be implimented.

[Darla Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple but good reminder to lead where you are by giving your all to the task in front of you. A good labor of faithfulness, brings a similar reward in time.

[Loy Machedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loy Machedo’s Book Review – You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader by Mark Sanborn

You will never believe how I ended up bumping into the author Mark Sanborn.

Being the Hardcore Obsessed Non-Fiction Junkie that I am, I happen to hear about Mark Sanborn from another great author Larry Winget. He had recommended his book on his facebook fan page.

To hear about someone great from another great Author – to me is like finding another gold mine to dig into.

So without hesitation, I googled Mark Sanborn and decided to purchase all his books. But here the twist of fate came into play.

I was informed in an email from one of his colleagues that they don’t ship books to UAE (the place where I say). It was a short sentence without any explanation or you know – the normal niceties.

Given the idiot I was (with the idiotic racist experiences I have had); I, in my great mind concluded this was a very Rude, Ruthless and Racist approach to doing business. And, given the great rant that I am known for, I posted my views about Mark and his associates all over the Social Media. (Yes Folks…Talk about extreme compulsive behavior!)

Guess what?
Never in a Million years did I expect the unexpected but Mark Sanborn wrote to me.
Not just wrote to me, he wrote back to me politely, explaining what happened and also apologizing for something that was indeed, not his fault.

I was absolutely ashamed about what I had done and did my best to correct the wrong I had done. And yes, it was done.

So now, Mark qualified as a great leader.
But does he qualify as a great author, writer and trainer?
This is what I decided to find out.

So today was the first time I managed to complete reading a book of his - You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader. So let us begin the book review.

The Book Review
To be honest, I read this book with a bit of pessimism.

I mean what can “yet-another-book-on-leadership” teach you? There are so many titles and so much of recycled material used in most of these books, most of the time I end up closing the book even before I started to read it. But this book….guess what?.....was surprisingly different.

Not only was it different, it was Insightful, Interesting and Intriguing – I found it plain outright Thought-Provoking. And boy was I glad to have a Fresh Breath of Air on a subject I found the writings pretty stale.

Now before I share with you my views, let me make one thing clear.

I am not one of those cookies who will simply recommend a book just because the world recommends it.
• The World Spoke highly of ‘Blue Ocean Strategies by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne’ – I found it to be an average book.
• The book on Branding by Al Ries is considered to be a Best Seller – I found it outdated and terrible.
• The World admired ‘The Secret by Rhonda Byrne’ – I hated the book so much, I gave the book away from free.
So I do not base my opinions on what others have to say.
Period.

But this book by Mark Sanborn has given me a new found respect for this man who walks his talk.

The contents
The book has a lot of very unique and personal examples of people from day to day walks of life. Most of the examples we hear from other books are either the overused examples of Abraham Lincoln or the KFC story or you even have people you just cannot relate to. The beauty of what Mark achieved through this book is giving examples of lay people – including him being humble himself to admit being on the wrong end of the stick. I found the examples truly memorable.

Mark used the strategy of Bill Gove’s philosophy is communication – Make a Point and Tell a Story.

What I loved most about this book is that it is a book you can share with anyone from any age group to anyone from any background – It has an Universal Flavor to it.

Do I have anything to suggest for improvement?
Simple – Please come out with more content and more books. Reading this book was more like having a Chicken Soup for the Soul – Leadership Version. A book you cannot put down.

Overall Comments:
An Inspirational Contribution and Very Beautiful book you can gift your children, to the people you love or to anyone in your organization.

If I had to sum it up, I would say, an amazing book from a man who earned my respect both as a leader, writer, and yes a human being.

Overall Rating
10 out of 10.
Simply Perfect

Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about leadership and the leadership mindset and how to become and act like a leader no matter what your role or title.

I highly recommend this book.

[Jeff Brateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Motivational book in hand, check. Easy one hour read, check. Empty Barnes and Noble table on a lazy Saturday, check.

Some times certain people need these pick-me-ups to help keep up the energy, when everyone or everything seems to be sucking you dry. This is the book for such a time. It is quick, to the point, and engaging. It tells a story without boring you, gives you tips without giving long lists or mnemonic memorization, and gives you motivation to continue doing the right thing. In a way, this book talked more about having the right attitude, and less about leading. If you have the right attitude, good things follow because you make them; you 'lead' them. :)

[Weather · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book might be for you if you enjoy cliches.

[Nile · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Leadership isn’t a mysterious art practiced by only a select few. It is the daily response of every man and woman who wishes to make a positive difference in the world and make it a little better place as a result of their efforts.” Pg 102

This was an inspiring little book about leadership, not for the CEO but for everyone in every area of life. We all need to think of ourselves as leaders, people who can not only see problems and challenges around us, not only think of ways to make things better, but initiate the change. Are you a leader in your home with your spouse and kids? How about in your own life dealing with that persistent sin. How about in the dozens of interactions we have with people at work each day?

This book was entertaining to read with many personal stories and filled with practical actions. The author works to shift our idea of personal success from making more money, accomplishing more, and improving ourselves to making more of a difference in the world around us, contributing more, and helping to improve the lives of others. You must be disciplined, be able to focus, value relationships with those around you, communicate clearly, execute your creative vision, and be one who gives rather than takes. Leave a legacy by living a life of leadership.

[Bernie Sotola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book. I give it 3 out of 5 motivational stories. It’s a short and easy read. Here are some key takeaways:

ROI stands for Relationships, Outcomes and Improvements.

Leadership is intimately linked to service.
When we lead, everything we do is geared toward creating some kind of positive outcome, whether improving income, relationships, spiritual life, health, or career.

Ask yourself is this an obligation or opportunity?

Many people begin their workday by asking themselves what they need to get done. People who act as leaders ask a slightly different question: What important things do I plan to accomplish?

Focus on MVP Activities: Most Valuable and Profitable

Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.

Communication isn’t the objective in business or life. The objective is understanding.

Texans describe posers as “Big hat. No cattle.”
Intent without action is just daydreaming.

A bad decision well implemented is better than a brilliant decision not well implemented.

Visioning: describing one’s ability to articulate and achieve a vision.

When you make the world better for others, you make the world better for yourself.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I started at the beginning of the next work chapter of my life. I've said this before in other reviews that sometimes a book comes along at the right time for the right reasons to remind you of the most important leadership principles. I enjoyed this book on little "L" ("l") leadership principles and why they matter.

Having worked for some great companies and not so great companies, I've seen what good and bad leaders look like. There have been some great leaders I'd follow into battle and some that just needed to be outsted from the orgs. Yes those, and not just the a-hole leaders but ineffectual non engaging non participating.

This book was a good reminder that in starting my next work chapter, influence of leadership is important. Maybe Mark's next book should be little "I" ("i") influence principles, or maybe that is one I could start and add all lessons learned :)

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I need a break from these “How to...” development books. This one fell really flat for me. It’s not that the concepts here are bad but the delivery just wasn’t on point. There are much better books that overview the same topics and give similar advice that I would recommend over this one.

That being said one thing that will stick with me from this book is that everyone has the power and should be empowered to lead. There was an analogy used (taken from somewhere else.) Where it challenged the quote “ An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep.” This quote by Alexander the Great emphasizes the importance of leadership. However the author challenges this by saying that an army of lions led by a lion is best of all, I.e a group of leaders can take on any challenge.

[Chris Bruni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had picked up this book from a rummage sale a few months back and, frankly, wasn’t in any hurry to get to it. After reading through the first few pages I found it to be very thought provoking. It made me think back to my days of managing large teams of people and all that entailed to today and how I manage a team of just one person - me.

But this book is about so much more than just workplace leadership. The author uses very short stories to make points about leadership in all aspects of life and finding ways to make a positive impact.

I focused on reading just a few pages each day (it’s a short book), then thinking about those pages and concepts throughout my workday. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to make a positive impact in their own life and the lives of others.

[Nhiên Lê · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I thought of the title, "Oh, another book teaching to stay humble but lol because life is all about putting that named resume forward."
The book was indeed more interesting. A combination of, basically life lessons; how to be humanly impactful, period. The organization and how the author implementing lessons through stories about amazing individuals, who started with adversity but ended up becoming owner of well-known successful businesses, intrigued my attention the most. The best book I have read so far about being leaders of yourself and your community.
Now that I think of it, other books are all talking about how to earn that engraved name plate on the desk; not really about how to think and act like a true leader. Hew...

[Clayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t give this a one because of how short it was. Also I don’t disagree with a good portion of the information. That being said, the book is just a bunch of jumbled together mildly thought provoking ideas about leadership. I feel like I would have gotten just as much out of 100 fortune cookies stapled together. The book is all over the place and I never knew what the author was even trying to convey. While some of the ideas are good (not revolutionary by any means) it jumps so quickly for point to point and story to story that you are introduced to a bunch of different ideas with no depth to make any of it worth while. Do not read. Unless you just need a short book to say you read more books in a year. Never mind even then read Brown Bear Brown Bear instead.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a quick yet very inspiring read. I really enjoyed his tips that were laid out in such an organized and easy-to-read fashion. Overall, this book taught me a lot about what it means to be a leader within its 100 short pages. I tend to like self-help books that are short and to the point, much like this one, so I was able to read this all in one sitting and then really think about what it meant to me and how I could apply it to my life. I would highly recommend this book to really anyone, because as the title says, anyone can be a leader in any aspect of their life and I believe that this is something that more people need to realize.

[Christopher Dehen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first half of the book is a complete waste. Basically work your butt off for your company for free and cross your fingers they migth eventually when they get around to it reward you. Well, you can crap on one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up first. Right around the time you think the will reward all your free time, energy, materials, and other stuff you gave - you'll get laid off to increase shareholders' value. The second half of the book does provide some tips for improving your personal life, but this is not relevant to the working world at all. Go read something else instead of this.

[Ronald Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

No doubt the author was correct when he penned the thought "leaders have a high implementation quotient." This is a great analogy and take away point from this quick read book. Some of the most effective leaders I know do not have a title. They work in the nitty gritty daily grind and influence others to get things done. Mr. Sanborn is right! "You don't need a title to be a leader." I would add that followers almost always focus on the talent of our leaders to inspire us to achieve great outcomes.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little book and a quick read. Highly recommended for anyone interested to know more about leadership skills, about how daily actions and interactions make someone a leader no matter the role they are in. Also recommended for those in leadership roles, there'll be a thing or two that they can takeaway from this book.

Mark Sanborn shared stories of how people with little or no leadership skills can negatively impact businesses and relationships.

He also shared 6 leadership principles in a simple and clear way that anyone can understand.

IG: @sarah.eunoia

[Angie K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone wants to leave a legacy whether it be to become rich and famous or just a good person. This book is not just one of those fluffy inspirational/leadership books - It's worth the read. It's a quick read but inspirational and well organized to be sure the reader feels inspired and ready to be a leader and making a positive difference. Be prepared to take notes and implement Mark Sandborn's ideas into your life.

[Geoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don't like the premise of this book.

I could just as easily but re-titled "You don't have to have sex to get screwed."

This is book you boss gives you when they pass you over for a promotion or raise ... and it's bullshit.

There are some helpful tips on managing people which is why I didn't give it a 1 star review.

Remember while taking on extra duties can help you develop don't let people exploit you.

[Chong-U · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, motivational and tips on being a thoughtful, human centred leader

Really liked how Sanborn is able to condense some rather deep and thoughtful ideas into short and very approachable anecdotes and points. Some choice quotes that spark self reflection. Overall, a good read for anyone who is in any form of leadership position (and Sanborn explains how many inevitably are!)

[Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offers a few select tidbits of wisdom but is more or less just a jarring, stumbling, from anecdote to anecdote. It’s touches on the fact that anyone can be a leader but does so in a way that made its 100 pages feel more like 300. It rambles and doesn’t follow a coherent path other than what I assume is a collection of the authors notes and thoughts collected from notebooks and cocktail napkins in his desk drawer. Overall, it was just okay—nothing more, nothing less.

[Daniel Bastardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is short but so full of wisdom. Mark Sanborn describes his six leadership principles in a very concise yet inspiring and enriching way. He uses examples along the way to tell how leadership doesn't come from a title but rather from our ability to influence others through our character, integrity, and perseverance. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in self-growth, regardless of age or career stage.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly didn't expect much from this book. I bought it from Goodwill for 4 dollars as an audio book, and thought I'd give it a shot.
I was surprised at how experienced the author was. He gave insights that were practical and helpful. I am so glad I picked this book up. I would highly recommend You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader to anyone who has an open mind to good ideas and great storytelling. 5 stars.

[Rachel Sexton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am typically not one to read this type of book but was required to for a course I’m taking. Not only was this required reading for me but this book is incredibly short with large print and yet I still had to force myself to finish it. This was essentially another leadership book written by an old white guy born on third, telling us all that if we are ~positive~ enough, we too can become leaders! Skip this book and read something worthwhile.

[Lauren]

Such a great and inspirational book that helps everyone who reads it come to the realization that titles don’t matter – it’s your perception and how you do your job.

Plus, no matter what your job or rank, in some way shape or form you are a leader in your job – from working with subcontractors, ordering supplies, working on projects – making any decision constitutes you as a leader.

Great motivational book for employees, friends & family!