Learning to Lead

Yesterday whilst co-facilitating the new Lead the Way leadership programme for Aviva in Perth, we got talking about our own leadership journeys for a wee while.

I shared one of my earliest stories.

In the summer of 1977, we had just moved house, and I had also just finished Primary School.

I was twelve years old.

There was lots of change going on for me and our family.

Everything felt a little unfamiliar a new place, new people, and the transition to High School ahead of me.

That summer I took on my first job, in an early morning paper round at the local newsagent.

It was easy enough, delivering newspapers in the quiet stillness before the day began.

But I didn’t just do the job; I paid attention.

I quickly learned the five different routes, how they worked, and who covered them.

Then, it wasn’t long before the newsagent began to trust me with more, including a few extra deliveries, managing new routes, then stepping in when others didn’t show.

Bit by bit, I found myself not just doing a job but being responsible for making sure it all ran smoothly.

Looking back, I see now that’s where my leadership journey quietly began.

Not with a title or a grand plan, but with trust, consistency, and a willingness to step up.

As John Maxwell said, “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”

That summer, I wasn’t thinking about leadership.

But I was learning how it starts, simply by showing up, taking responsibility, and earning trust.

That lesson has stayed with me ever since.

And as I reflect about it more this morning… maybe it began even earlier, when I was nine and made a seconder in the Cub Scouts, but that’s another story!

What about you?

What early experience taught you the value of responsibility?