In this reflective monologue, a senior technical project manager shares his evolving understanding of leadership as influence rather than positional authority. He recounts early exposure to John C. Maxwell and Michael Hyatt’s writings, initial skepticism, and a decade‑long journey through engineering roles at Molex, mentorship experiences, and a failed attempt to secure a formal project‑manager title. The speaker describes how mentors encouraged him to speak up and how he gradually recognized the power of influence independent of titles. A recent corporate acquisition (Perks by 360 Insight) prompted him to test this mindset: whether he retained authority or not, he would continue to influence outcomes. He draws a biblical parallel to Jesus, emphasizing servant‑leadership and the danger of a “positional mindset.” The talk concludes with practical counsel—serve those around you, develop other leaders, cast vision only after securing buy‑in, and view leadership as a continual cycle of influencing and serving.
Chapters
What's up? So I want to talk to you a little bit about leadership is influence and what that means to me now versus then. And I have— do have a couple of notes I want to make sure I hit, but we'll get into those. Uh, but I first read leadership is influence through John C. Maxwell, and he along with Michael Hyatt are two of my favorite people to study when it comes to leadership. Just their contributions and insights into the discipline amazes me. Uh, but when I first read that, I believe I was about 20 or 21, so it's about 10 or 11 years ago, uh, I was like, yeah, right, that's easy for you to say, you know, because your guys are here. And but I didn't really give it time. I just didn't have the maturity and just wasn't seeing it through the right lens. But as I lived, you know, continue to live and evolve and grow as a person, it started to be more clear what John C. Maxwell and the Michael Hyatt world were saying. And of course, through the lens of the Bible And so now that I'm a senior technical project manager, um, I've been in this role for about a year and a half. I've been in the discipline, the project management discipline, or just profession for about 3 and a half years. Uh, it's just clearer and clearer each day and day go on, and I'm gonna come back to that. But going back prior to that, I was working in Molex in engineering and, you know, doing a lot of drafting design, kind of, um technician work, a little bit of associate design at the end, and a little bit of engineering coordinating. But like, probably in the last year that I was there, I really wanted to be like an associate project manager, project coordinator, uh, as well as I applied elsewhere. And I didn't like— I didn't get it. I didn't get it there, and I didn't get it the places I was applying for. So I was like, cool. So then I kind of like fell into this rut. I was, you know, still doing my job, but fell into this rut of like, man, um, like, I'm doing— I'm taking on extra responsibility, but I can't get the title position. This is where authority and impact come. These people respect me if I get the title. And so a manager that I had prior to that, prior to the last one I had before I left, you know, um, one of the things he used to challenge me on, he would be like, Tim, you know, you really should speak up and mean it, just say this. And, you know, a guy that was a project manager there that really took me up under his wing and mentored me, you know, he was like saying kind of the same thing. And I was just looking how influential they were, and it was starting to make sense now. Like, all the reading and just all the little tweaks and stuff like that, it was starting to make sense. But like I say, at the same time, I was just like, people respond to titles, they respond to positions and authority, so I still need the title. But I don't know if they knew this, but I believe what God was cultivating and nurturing in me is that I'm teaching you influence. I'm teaching you how to be influential because positional authority is only going to take you so far, and I don't really want you using it anyway. I want you using influence and being impactful versus just dropping the hammer. I know it's a time for that, but this is where I believe God was taking me. So recently on the call, um, like I say, when I left Molex for Perks, and Perks was recently acquired by 360 Insight we were just talking about, you know, the acquisition and what does that mean. Am I going to still have my same team? Am I going to say the same direct reports? Uh, am I going to still have, you know, the positional authority that I currently have now? And it was just— I was just like thinking about all this stuff, and like once again God was like, you never used that anyway. Like, I've taught you how to be influential. I've developed you to be influential. And so all of a sudden I just found myself saying like, you know what, Regardless of what happened, if I lose my, uh, uh, title or get— go here, go there, it doesn't even matter. I'm going to kind of like— I'm going to do things the way I've been doing them. I'm just going to try to influence the outcome and just influence the projects or whatever, you know, people and decisions and so on and so on. I was like, so if I have so much positional authority, great. If I don't, great. And so I started reflecting on those teachable lessons. Uh, just like I say, all of a sudden now it's just really clear, and I'm like, wow, you know, when I thought I didn't have impact, I really did. I just didn't use it. And they were allowing me to have responsibilities and stuff without the title because it was teaching me influence. And so, because I believe a lot of leaders to this day still believe that you don't become a leader until you get the position or the title, and That's the furthest from the truth. And if you have that positional mindset, that's what you're going to covet. You're never going to think you can be influential and impactful until you step into a certain position. That's why I believe so many people want to be the top dog all the time. And so with me, it's just like, hey, do it the way I told you to do it. Don't skip the development. You have to develop the gifts. Although you've been called and I've gifted you with these things, the development is on you, is what I believe God was telling me. And that's why I believe we don't reach our sphere of influence, or why we subscribe to a mindset, a positional mindset, or whatever, um, type of mindset that think that we have to be here in order to have this. And Jesus never was like that. He made himself of no reputation, but he was very influential. He never really just walked around like— yes, he knew he was God, his deity and stuff like that, but when you really look at it, he was more influential. I know he has all authority in his hands, but he was very influential. And so he influenced a lot of things, man. And so even to this day, like, when you really think about it, he's not making us serve him. It's just what he's done for us as, you know, people that believe in, in the body of Christ and what Jesus did. It's just influence. And so I want to model that same thing now, and I will challenge you to model it. So you're not a leader just because— you don't become a leader just because you get a position. If you have been called to leadership in whatever capacity or sphere of influence, that's what you are. Even if you're just leading yourself or leading your family, you know, don't just reject that notion. Leadership is influence. It is not limited to a title or position. Like I say, don't fall for the mistake that I did. I once subscribed to that mentality and And yeah, I can say or look at it as I wasted a lot of time, or I can say, hey, it was a lot of development. So going forward, man, I just want to encourage you to not just serve the ones above you, but serve the ones beneath you, around you. Just serve everyone that you can. And when it's your time to move up— because yes, we do need positions and titles, I'm not saying that we don't— but when is your time to finally be that person you have become and cultivated that way before you got the title. Because if you just step in it with a positional mindset, I'm telling you, it's only a matter of time before you no longer in that position or that title because of the way you lead or the paradigm that you might subscribe to. So continue to serve, man. Continue to just serve in leadership and then transform. Like the transformation, man, you want to see people transform, you want to develop people. I challenge leaders all the time, and just the coaching that I do as well as I receive, it's all about serving and transformational. Because when you stop building and developing leaders, your vision stops. And that's like the last point that I want to make, you know. I, I see it oftentimes, it's like, how do I get buy-in? How do I cast vision? Well, what's the point of casting vision if you don't have buy-in as a leader? If the people haven't bought into you then the vision casting and all the other stuff doesn't matter because it was just left at not developing, not developing other leaders, not giving other people a chance to perform. So serve, man. Just love well. And as I always say on my thing, follow the lead, lead to serve, and repeat. Be blessed.
