Have you ever observed an individual or individuals within your organization who others naturally gravitate to for advice, direction, and problem solving? Often these individuals will not have the official "title," yet within their organization, groups of employees treat them as if they are the bosses. These are the unofficial leaders within the organization, achieving their status by performing as a leader, not because they were given the title.

The most important element that elevates an individual to unofficial leadership status is their ability to be an effective role model for the rest of the organization; they exhibit the key characteristics off an effective leader. What are these characteristics? Do you have them?

Emotional Stability and Composure Individuals who can handle pressure and have sufficient emotional maturity to work through difficult situations will always rise to the top. Of course, we all react differently to external influences, but it is our ability to maintain our composure (especially in public) that will draw people to us. After all, we, as human beings, are always seeking assurances from those in our lives that everything will be all right.

Integrity If we ask our colleagues and ourselves why a particular individual attracts others (from a leadership viewpoint!) often we will hear that they can be trusted and they have a high level of integrity. Integrity... that cornerstone word standing for complete adherence to a high level of honesty.

Interpersonal Skills Leaders, by their very character, must draw followers to them-- strong interpersonal skills will grease the skids to make this happen. Followers are always attracted to individuals who demonstrate respect for their fellow human beings. As the Bible's golden rule says, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Respect cannot be bought. It must be earned. And, it must be earned each and every day.

Expert Power "Unofficial" leadership works when the leader is full of expert power and there is ambiguous authority. Initially, individuals seek out these leaders because the leaders have special expertise in a particular area or field. Once the individual gains trust in the unofficial leader's area of expertise, the individual often will look to the leader for direction concerning other areas. For example, if an employee values the marketing skill of a marketing strategist, and that strategist is also computer savvy, the employee may seek him or her out with a computer question. The marketing strategist has expert power, which crosses over to other fields.

Even though companies have organization charts and job descriptions, often there is substantial ambiguity as to who has what authority and responsibility. In those cases, individuals figure out the practical leadership channels on their own and the unofficial leaders step forward to show the way.

Unofficial leaders do not have formal authority--that's why they are unofficial! Yet, in order to capture the unofficial status, their behavior must be consistent with the basic values, principles, and traditions of the organization.

Leaders who have the title--the formal authority--need to welcome the unofficial leaders within the organization. In this complex global environment, there are too many moving pieces to have all the leadership bases covered by the formal organization chart and job descriptions.

Speaking of bases, this brings me to Cal Ripken, Jr., who will walk off a major league baseball field (as a player) for the last time on September 30. Ripken has played for the Baltimore Orioles for his entire 21-season career, breaking records not with pure ability, but rather with a combination of undeniable talent and an incredible work ethic. Although Ripken doesn't have the highest batting average on the team and doesn't play each game these days, he's a leader in many ways. He inspires younger teammates to continually give 100 percent and prepare themselves physically and mentally to meet that challenge. His durability, kindness toward fans, humble nature, and even his size (one of the first tall shortstops in the game) has made him a role model to players across baseball. An unofficial leader to thousands, Ripken's legacy will not soon be forgotten.

Whether official or unofficial, as a leader look to the example set by Cal Ripken, Jr., and pick up where he leaves off.

Now as yourself... Am I a Leader?