Agency as leadership

30/1/2025

‘Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard.’ (D. Todd Christofferson)

Secret agent? No. Estate agent? No. Travel agent? No. Change agent? Yes – that’s what I mean here. Personal leadership is all about outlook, attitude and behaviour. It isn’t about role or position. It is about seeing myself, whatever my role, as an agent of change. It’s about being proactive, seizing the initiative and embracing fresh challenges. It’s also about seeking ways to improve things and being resourceful to address them. Here are some examples of personal leadership, representing a shift from passive to active stance:

I can’t change anything – I can change things
I wait for others to take the first step – I take the initiative
It’s not my job to improve things – I look for ways to improve things
I simply do what others tell me to do – I influence others’ thinking and decisions
I expect others to develop me – I take steps to develop myself
I always play it safe – I take courageous risks
I blame others when things go wrong – I take responsibility when things go wrong
Others manage the impacts of my decisions – I manage the implications of my decisions
Satisfactory is good enough – I’m committed to high quality results
I focus on my own area – I contribute to the whole

Personal leadership isn’t about being individualistic or selfish. It is about choosing to take responsibility for my own decisions and actions and, where it affects others, helping to manage the implications. For instance, say I discover I can’t make it to a pre-arranged meeting. A passive response could be to say, for example, ‘Apologies, can’t make it after all.’ And that’s it. It could leave the other party feeling unsupported, undervalued or disrespected. By contrast, a personal leadership approach could look something like this:

‘Apologies, some unexpected, high priority and urgent work has come up which means I can’t now make it to our meeting. I recognise the meeting is important and I’ve explored various ways to make it possible, e.g. by rearranging other work, asking colleagues if they can cover for me; seeing if other deadlines can be renegotiated etc, without success. Is the date or time of the meeting negotiable...or could I perhaps arrange for somebody else attend in my place? I would ensure they are fully briefed beforehand and check in with them afterwards.’

See and feel the difference? Bottom line: personal leadership is about exercising my agency to contribute my best, and to enhance the contribution of others.

Would you like help with developing personal leadership in your organisation? Get in touch!

[See also: Shared leadership; Personal leadership; Developing personal leadership]

14 Comments

Richard Carmichael

30/1/2025 08:39:32 pm

Excellent perspective Nick. In leadership, ownership is everything. I’ve built my career on the principle that those who take responsibility, who see themselves as architects rather than passengers, are the ones who thrive. Initiative isn’t about waiting for permission; it’s about recognizing opportunities and acting on them. If more professionals embraced this mindset, workplaces would be far more dynamic and results-driven. That said, leadership also means discernment. Not every battle needs to be fought, and not every issue requires intervention. True leaders know when to act and when to empower others.

Nick Wright

13/2/2025 05:04:48 pm

Thank you, Richard - and well said. 'Workplaces would be far more dynamic.' Yes indeed - and I have seen that in the organisations where we're promoted and sought to model this personal agency ethos and approach.

Dr. Eugene Whitmore

30/1/2025 08:42:24 pm

Ah, the gospel of personal responsibility.

A compelling sermon, certainly, but one that conveniently ignores the broader forces shaping human behavior. The assumption here is that individuals can simply choose to be proactive, courageous, and self-directed. But what of the structural barriers? The economic inequalities? The cultural constraints that shape which ‘agents of change’ are heard and which are dismissed?

While I do not dispute the value of initiative, I caution against an oversimplified, meritocratic view of success. Leadership is not merely an individual act. It is shaped by context, privilege, and opportunity. Without acknowledging these realities, this argument remains inspiring but incomplete.

13/2/2025 05:07:39 pm

Hi Eugene. That's fair challenge and, on that theme, you may find a couple of short related pieces interesting, the first of which opens with the statement: ‘The opportunity to make effective personal choices is highly unequal.’ (Robert A. Dahl - After the Revolution)

https://www.nick-wright.com/agents-of-change.html
https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/critical-reflection

Jacob O'Connor

30/1/2025 08:44:10 pm

This? This is solid thinking Nick. In the military, waiting for someone else to fix things isn’t an option. You either step up or you get people hurt.

But leadership isn’t just about action. It’s about discipline. Making the right call, even when it’s tough. Owning mistakes. Looking out for your team. That’s what separates real leaders from people just playing boss. This should be taught everywhere: workplaces, schools, even families. Because if more people took responsibility, we’d all be better off.

Brian Ewards

30/1/2025 08:46:43 pm

Spot on Nick and Jacob. This is the difference between winners and whiners. You don’t wait for orders; you assess, decide, and act. In my time in the military, I saw firsthand that the best soldiers weren’t the ones who just followed, they were the ones who thought, who adapted, who owned their outcomes. Life rewards decisiveness. You either make things happen, or you watch others do it.

13/2/2025 05:10:54 pm

Thanks Brian, Your comment 'This is the difference between winners and whiners' made me smile. 'You either make things happen, or you watch others do it.' That strikes me as true too.

13/2/2025 05:09:19 pm

Thank you, Jacob. I really like that: 'Leadership isn’t just about action. It’s about discipline. Making the right call, even when it’s tough. Owning mistakes. Looking out for your team. That’s what separates real leaders from people just playing boss.'

Lisa Ramirez

30/1/2025 08:50:00 pm

Hi Nick. Interesting post. I see what you call "personal leadership" play out every day in parenting. If I waited for my kids to take responsibility on their own, our house would be chaos! Teaching "personal agency" is crucial. it starts with small things like encouraging my kids to solve their own problems, make their own decisions and take responsibility for their actions. But here’s the tricky part: leadership isn’t just about taking charge; it’s also about teaching others how to lead. Sometimes the best thing I can do is step back and let my kids struggle a little so they learn resilience. I think leadership is as much about empowering others as it is about stepping up yourself.

13/2/2025 05:13:22 pm

Thank you, Lisa - and for sharing such great examples from being a parent. 'Leadership is as much about empowering others as it is about stepping up yourself.' I agree, and I really appreciate you adding that dimension to this conversation.

Mavarine Du-Marie

30/1/2025 11:21:00 pm

Interesting.

13/2/2025 05:13:44 pm

Thanks, Mavarine.

Maxine Walsh

31/1/2025 04:34:04 pm

What is agency, Nick? I'm new to this.

13/2/2025 05:15:44 pm

Hi Maxine. That's a good question. In a nutshell, the notion of choice-action lays at the heart of the personal agency phenomenon. Writer Shaun Gallagher describes it as, ‘the sense that I am the one who is causing or generating an action’. ‘I can choose’ is a profound existential, psychological and political statement and stance. It means I can break out beyond the apparent default of my circumstances. It implies that we hold the potential to be catalysts of real change in the world, within ourselves as well as in broader relationships and situations – and this brings opportunity and responsibility. I hope that makes sense!