Leaders lead. And they follow.

These sentences sound contradictory, right? After all, we’ve all been conditioned to view leaders as … those out in front, those leading change, those making things happen. We have the context of historical leaders with tremendous personal will and courage.

I’ve written about leadership and courage before, so it does seem strange to now talk about leaders who follow. But I do believe successful leaders know when to lead, and when to follow. And the combination of these two dynamics sets the stage for learning, leadership growth and successful teaming. This is especially true for leaders at the highest levels of organizations.

I call this everyday leadership.

The mindset around all of this is what’s most important. As a leader, being self-aware enough to understand this thinking is truly the wisdom of crowds that can move mountains. And understanding that the conscious effort – every day – to notice and find nuggets of leadership to learn from and hold up to others in the organization … this promotes, encourages and motivates leadership behavior at all levels of the organization.

James Surowiecki wrote the book The Wisdom of Crowds, and although the term is more described in the book as a decision-making framework, I see it as a leadership mantra.

Everyday leaders seek examples in all facets of their lives – like paying attention to the way your kid’s coach motivates young athletes. Or maybe it’s a co-worker who’s effective at taking a project from start to finish; or a friend who always highlights the silver lining when things aren’t going so well. Sometimes, everyday leadership is not obvious – it can take real effort to find examples around you. But they are there – every day!

And once we recognize these nuggets of leadership, we need to do more! We need to learn from others, and incorporate these different techniques and styles along with ours. Everyday leaders take action to emulate the examples they encounter. They learn more about the leadership around them and incorporate the ideas in not only work, but daily life. They take these experiences and use them as motivation to push themselves. This becomes self-perpetuating, as leadership behavior at all levels of the organization is promoted and encouraged.    

David Potter is one example of an everyday leader. As an agent representing my company in Springfield, Mo., David leads a successful agency that’s been in business since 1987. He’s received numerous honors and award for his service to our customers.

What inspires me more than anything is David’s selfless nature and caring approach to the world. He’s led dozens of mission trips to Brazil, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic over the years, and each time the people David brings with him come back changed. David’s a humble leader and doesn’t seek glory or accolades. He learns from others. And he acts.

Good leadership is contagious. Let it motivate you. Write down what you see, or talk to someone about what you experienced and the qualities that excited you. Because we encounter people like David every day, though we may not always notice them. Become an everyday leader and find these inspiring people in your life. Learn from them and work to emulate their actions.

Examples of leadership live everywhere in our daily lives. What have you seen recently?