The author offers lessons learned from three related initiatives of the Wheelock College Institute for Leadership and Career Initiatives from 1997 to 2003 that aimed to promote authentic early care and education leadership by people who came from the community and who hold the same values as the population being served: "Taking the Lead", "Leadership Pathways", and "Trainers As Leaders". The article argues that leaders can be found at all levels of an organization. Diversifying leadership in the early childhood field means working across cultures, ethnicities, economic status, ages, abilities, regions of the country, experience levels, roles, and segments of the field. Authentic leaders come from and understand the community where the work is based, hold the same values as the population being served, appreciate every participant's assets, and can sense and foster a group's comfort level.