Especially at this time of year there seem to be a considerable number of lists that talk about what to do and what not to do in the new year. Many of these lists talk about leadership. While I think leadership is really important I think there is more talk about it than action or to put it differently the word is simply overused.
Check Amazon for "Leadership" (~110,000 books found) and "Management" (~892,000 books found) and you see there is no lack of advise. But reading a book (assuming it's a good book) doesn't mean you truly understand and apply the knowledge from the book.
What are you planning to do to show that you are a leader in 2014?
I suggest you go and own a real (business) problem from beginning to end! If you already work on a critical program or project make it clear to everyone that the success of the program or project is something you own.
This means to clearly identity an issue in your environment. Ensure that this is a real issue and not just something you like to work on. Don't wait for someone to empower you to own the problem but actively identify the issue and make it your issue. Many people like to wait until a problem is assigned to them. Don't fall into this trap in 2014 and instead be the "leader" by grabbing the issue by the horns and own it. In many cases you will be successful "only" by acting instead of talking or waiting for someone to assign the issue to you. So go and be the leader others talk about in 2014!
