How to Lead Without a Title

The #1 Skill Every High-Impact Teammate Needs

A lot of people assume you need a leadership title to be a leader. But the best teams aren’t driven by titles. They’re driven by people who step up, clarify what matters, and move things forward.

My friend and former Google exec

Jenny Wood

calls this skill being “Bossy.” Not in the “telling people what to do” sense, but in the way that actually makes work better.

Being “Bossy” means knowing when to take charge of clarity, even if it’s not “your job.” Because when expectations are vague, priorities are misaligned, or projects stall, the solution isn’t to wait for someone else to fix it. The solution is to step up.

In her new book Wild Courage, Jenny reveals the 9 traits that high achievers use to stand out, take control, and move ahead.

These 9 traits that might seem “bad” on the surface, but are actually the key to impact: Weird, Selfish, Shameless, Obsessed, Nosy, Manipulative, Brutal, Reckless, and Bossy.

And Jenny knows what she’s talking about. Jenny helped drive billions in revenue for Google and founded one of the largest career programs in the company’s history. (Check out her book here.)

If you’ve ever been frustrated by a lack of direction, unclear ownership, or teammates working from totally different assumptions — congratulations. You’re already thinking like a leader. The real question is: What are you going to do about it?

~Charlie

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Now here’s Jenny:

The Hidden Cost of Unclear Expectations

A project gets delivered, but the scope is off. A deadline gets missed, but no one thought to flag the risk in advance. The team is overloaded, but no one speaks up until burnout sets in. These problems don’t come from a lack of effort — they come from a lack of clarity. And clarity doesn’t happen by accident.

So much team dysfunction and misalignment can be traced back to one simple issue: What’s obvious to you isn’t always obvious to everyone else.

That’s why great leaders don’t assume people “just know.” They make the obvious explicit. They turn fuzzy expectations into crisp priorities. They make sure everyone is operating from the same playbook — not just guessing at what’s expected.

And most importantly? They do this before things go wrong, not after.

Two Ways to Step Up and Take Charge of Clarity

If you want to improve communication and execution, start by asking better questions. Here are two that can transform how your team works:

1. Ask: “What does success actually look like?”

So much team friction comes from vague or differing definitions of success. Before launching a project, ask:

• What’s the exact outcome we’re aiming for?

• How will we know if we’ve done it well?

• What trade-offs are we willing to make?

Without this, you risk your team working on different assumptions — leading to delays, misalignment, and rework. When success is explicit, execution is easier.

There’s a difference between doing the work and achieving the goal. The first is effort. The second is impact. High-performing teams don’t just work hard. They define what winning looks like up front.

2. Ask: “Who owns this?” (And don’t assume they already know.)

One of the fastest ways to tank momentum is letting ownership remain unclear. If more than one person thinks they own it, no one really does.

Before work begins, clarify:

• Who is making the final call?

• Who is responsible for driving progress?

• Who needs to be informed, but isn’t a decision-maker?

So often, projects stall because everyone assumes someone else is handling it. A quick, simple conversation about ownership can prevent weeks of delays, misfires, and duplicated work.

What “Bossy” Actually Means

Some people hesitate to take charge of clarity because they don’t want to seem like they’re micromanaging or overstepping.

But being “Bossy” doesn’t mean controlling everything. It means creating an environment where there’s no room for confusion about what matters, who owns what, and how success is measured.

Unclear expectations create more friction than clear direction ever will. When nobody knows exactly what’s expected, people do extra work they didn’t need to do, waste time second-guessing themselves, and get frustrated and disengaged.

The best teams don’t just have talented people. They have shared clarity. And that doesn’t happen on its own. It happens because someone makes sure it does.

Making This a Team Habit

This isn’t just an individual leadership skill. It’s a team habit that can transform how your organization works. A leader’s core job isn’t just setting strategy or making decisions. It’s creating alignment so that people can execute effectively without unnecessary roadblocks.

You don’t need to be a CEO to lead. You just need to be willing to take responsibility for turning confusion into clarity.

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Jenny dives deeper into this in her book Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It. If you want to learn how to lead without waiting for permission, this book is for you.