Creating Space: Reflections on Informal Leadership

By Taylor Savage

Sometimes, the most powerful leadership lessons arrive long before the title.

Stepping into a formal leadership role has given me a chance to reflect on the people who shaped me long before I had the title. The biggest lessons I’ve learned haven’t come from a playbook or someone telling me what to do. They came from people who believed I was capable before I believed it myself. 

Throughout my career at Experience Columbus, my leaders invited me into rooms I wasn’t sure I belonged. They trusted me with projects that stretched me, encouraged me to lead conversations outside my comfort zone, and gave me the space to make mistakes along the way. More importantly, they didn’t rescue me from those mistakes. They coached me through them, gave me the grace to learn, and trusted me to find solutions. 

Looking back, I realize those weren’t just opportunities but investments. Every time someone believed in me before I felt ready, they invested in who I could become, not just what I could accomplish that day. 

It wasn’t just my leaders, either. My teammates shared their expertise, challenged my thinking, and offered honest feedback because they genuinely wanted me to succeed. If I could bottle up that culture and share it everywhere, I would. 

Creating Space for Others 

Those experiences shaped how I lead today, no matter my role or title. They also taught me that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions for other people to discover their own. That means asking thoughtful questions, listening well, and removing barriers so talented people can do what they do best. 

As my responsibilities have grown, I’ve realized my role isn’t to have the best ideas. It’s to help others do their best work by simplifying processes, bringing clarity, removing unnecessary obstacles, and giving people the confidence to take on new opportunities and challenges. I can’t eliminate every hurdle, nor should I, because challenges help us grow. But I can help remove the ones that don’t need to exist. 

Learning Through Change

One lesson that’s reshaped how I lead is understanding why change feels difficult. 

I’ve learned that people rarely resist change simply because it’s different. More often, they’re responding to a sense of loss, whether that’s certainty, familiarity, opportunity, confidence, influence, or a process they’ve worked hard to build. 

That realization changed how I approached conversations. Instead of focusing only on what’s changing, I try to anticipate what people might feel they’re losing. I make it a priority to acknowledge those concerns by listening first and explaining the “why.” It doesn’t eliminate the challenge, but it does build trust. The conversation becomes less about convincing someone to embrace change and more about helping people navigate it. I’ll probably spend my entire career getting better at this, but I’ve already learned that trust and empathy accomplish far more than persuasion ever could.

Why NextGen Matters

The more I’ve reflected on my own journey, the more I’ve realized it always comes back to one idea: creating space for others. That’s why ASAE’s NextGen Association Summit resonates so deeply with me. 

Since 2018, Columbus has proudly hosted the program, helping shape more than 100 emerging leaders through connection, shared experiences, and transformative conversations. 

I’ve had the privilege to oversee NextGen since its beginning, and in many ways, I feel like I’ve grown professionally alongside it. Each year, I watch emerging leaders gain confidence by learning from one another, and I’m reminded that my own journey has followed a similar path. 

That’s why hosting NextGen feels so authentic to who we are as an organization and as a destination. Developing future leaders isn’t simply something we support through a summit—it’s part of our culture. 

Paying It Forward 

As I continue growing in my own leadership journey, I hope I can give others what was given to me: opportunities before they feel ready, honest feedback delivered with care, and the confidence that comes from knowing someone has their back. 

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s to think about who you can bring along with you. It doesn’t have to be a big gesture. Invite someone into a conversation, share what you’ve learned, ask for their perspective, or trust them with something that helps them grow. You never know how much those small moments can shape someone’s confidence or career. They certainly shaped mine.