What is leadership?
What is leadership, and what makes a great leader? No doubt this is a topic that many books and speakers have elaborated on. There are many definitions of leadership. In Dare to Lead, Brené Brown defines a leader as, “…anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” In Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman says, “Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best of us.” In his book Leadership, Northouse defines leadership as, “… a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” You can feel the similarities. Overall I like the summary shared by Jeff Weiner in his LinkedIn Learning course:
“Leadership is the ability to inspire others to achieve shared objectives.”
There are 6 words in this definition that help us focus on what leadership is and how to be better at it. Let’s tackle each one below.
Leadership is a skill
Leadership is a skill. It is something you do and something you can learn. You do not need 10,000 hours of practice to become a good leader, but you must be intentional about learning leadership as a skill. With every hour of intentional practice and reflection, you will build yourself into a stronger leader.
Leadership does not occur in stillness. It is action-oriented. It is an active sport. Think of great leaders. Were they always great leaders? Surely not. But they didn’t become great leaders by sitting on the sidelines. They became great leaders through action, learning, and experience.
If you are new to leadership, be sure there is much to learn. The 5 points below will give you a starting point for taking action and building your skills.
Leadership is about others
Surprise! Leadership is not about you. It is about your followers. Leaders need followers, not employees, charges, or direct reports. By definition, a leader must have followers to be considered a leader. So how do you earn followers? Well, this is a big question, and this highlights the first dichotomy of leadership: leadership is about you.
In order to be about others, you must first take ownership of your actions, beliefs, words, etc. You must realize that your behavior can influence others. As a leader, you must work to scale efforts through your followers. Understanding how your behavior influences others is a must. Work to master yourself so you can be a good leader for others.
Leadership is about inspiring
Leadership is not about force. It is about motivating others to act. Great leaders in history painted pictures of new futures, better conditions, more flourishing, and an improved world. Leaders do not manipulate. They inspire. Consider how you show up in this regard. Are your words inspirational? Do you lead a life that motivates others to follow you?
There is a dichotomy here as well. While leaders inspire others, you must also be inspired. Your passion for a desired future can be contagious. Followers can feel your passion and will buy into your vision only as much as you do.
Leadership is about objectives
Leading implies you are headed somewhere. Can a boat captain be effective if no destination is set? Leaders share a vision (a set of objectives) and inspire followers to take action toward achieving that vision. The effectiveness of your leadership depends on the clarity of your vision and objectives. It is paramount that you are clear with your objectives. Imagine if a boat captain said, “Well, we will set sail across a dangerous sea… we are headed that way, toward somewhere!” Not too inspiring, eh? Clarity of objectives also includes understanding what you don’t want. The journey to the future is full of distractions and forks in the road. Establish clear objectives and ignore distractions.
Leadership objectives are shared
Though you may be the leader, your followers are not sheep. They are the executors, facilitators, and change agents. They have insights and perspectives that must be acknowledged by the leader. Great leaders co-create a vision of the future through dialogue with their followers. Indeed, many leaders create their own vision of the future only AFTER consulting with followers. Followers cannot effectively push for a desired future if they do not share the beliefs and vision for that future. Leaders who push toward their singular view of the future are on the Edge of dictatorship.
Leadership involves achievement
Leadership is an active sport. Words can inspire but results are what matter. What actions are you taking to move toward the desired future? How are you promoting positive actions? Do you practice what you preach? As nothing can get done without taking action, consider how you move others to initiate change.
Objectives and achievements happen on many levels. While leaders push for a desired outcome, achievements can come from changes in processes, hitting milestones, and other outcomes. While the long-term goal should always be top-of-mind, don’t forget that you are on a journey, and hitting a milestone is an achievement. Create clarity about the objectives that can be hit along the way.
Now what?
The above topics cover the basics of leadership. While leadership is a broad field with much research behind it, the points above should give you points to consider as you begin your journey. Try asking these questions:
- What are you doing to learn about leadership? What are you practicing?
- What is your vision?
- How do you engage with followers to co-create that vision?
- What are the measurable outcomes, both intermediate and final, that will determine when success is achieved?
- How will you inspire yourself and others to take action?
- What will you do to support your followers?
Thanks for reading.
Until next time…
Clark