What is Leadership All About?

What is leadership, anyway?

Some people see leaders as Imperial Storm Troopers, enforcing rules and imposing their will on people.

Some people see leaders as little more than cheerleaders, motivating the people who are doing real work.

I used to know that leadership was telling people what to do. People go to leaders with questions, leaders give them the answers.

I also used to know that leadership was about results. Leaders were able to get people to do things, no matter what it took.

None of these things is what leadership is all about. Leadership is so much more, and so much more important, than all of these.

The essential core of leadership is influencing people to put shared values into practice.

Each leader uses different methods and tactics. The leaders who inspire me help people recognize their own core values. They find ways to help people bring those values to bear on the world around them.

I help people who are working to become stronger, more effective, more authentic, better leaders. Together we discover and explore our own essential values, and the core values we share. Together we find ways to bring out the best in the people around us. Together we examine and try ways to overcome obstacles and meet goals.

Together we face challenges to becoming the leaders we can be.

Many people think they face challenges with other people, or with time constraints, or with unrealistic expectations. Together we come to appreciate that the greatest challenges each of us face is with ourselves.

The people in whose lives we have the greatest influence are ourselves. We are the people with the most difficulty grasping their core values.

Together we take steps toward understanding.

What values are you influencing people to put into practice?

How are you becoming the leader you can be?

[Image by Kenny Louie]