My Definition of Leadership

The Definition of Leadership

This is my first blog on Leadership and it’s aptly centered on my own personal and professional definition of Leadership. As the owner of Strong Point Strategy, LLC…a niche management consulting company that focuses on helping its client implement and execute Leadership Development and Organizational Change…I have spent my entire career studying and implementing Leadership Development Programs.
 

In order to advise people and companies on Leadership and Leadership Development…it is important to have a very clear definition of what Leadership is and more importantly…what it is not. There are many definitions for Leadership and they are as unique as the people who use them. One of my personal favorites is that of Theodore Roosevelt…our beloved former president. His definition of leadership embodies, in my opinion, the struggle, the emotions, and the honor associated with leadership.
 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." — Theodore Roosevelt, American President
 

My definition is more of a “dictionary” definition, created to help people understand and recognize what I mean by Leadership. Here is my definition.
 

Leadership is the aggregate strength derived from the use of deep reservoirs of personal awareness, skill and professional best practices. These best practices and methodologies are then uniquely applied to a set of challenges that call out individual authenticity and set new precedents in professional capacity and personal effectiveness to support the common good.
 

So let me break down my Leadership definition into its composite parts and provide you with the commentary that more deeply supports the words.

 

Leadership is the aggregate strength derived from the use of deep reservoirs of
 

Ø personal awareness,

Ø skill and

Ø professional best practices.
 

I believe Leadership is a very personal thing. It seems obvious that you cannot lead if you are following…and you are following…in its very basic form…if you are not using your true, unique self. This true unique self is a person whom you have worked hard to become acutely aware. For leaders to lead themselves and others, they must possess a deep knowledge of themselves. This knowledge includes things like personality styles, learning styles, work methods, communication styles and preferences and core skills, abilities and strengths and weaknesses. You can learn as much as about yourself through self discovery (trying a million different things to understand what you like/ dislike etc) as you can by learning and trying others’ personal and professional best practices. People write down and teach what works for them to produce positive outcomes in business all day long. Read books, go to seminars, try to implement these best practices and you will advance and improve your own self knowledge and leadership effectiveness.

 

These best practices and methodologies are then uniquely applied to a set of challenges that call out individual authenticity
 

I believe if you are leading…it has to be YOU who are leading. It cannot be some version of what you think other people expect from you …or want from you ….or need you to do for them. Leadership takes raw courage. You have to have the internal fortitude and strength of character to bring forth your unique vision, thoughts and plans with an authenticity that only you can provide.
 

…and set new precedents in professional capacity and personal effectiveness and
 

When you do this, you begin to create new realities…and well...lead J. Whether the initial outcome of your vision and plans…and your leadership… is positive or not…you are, in fact, leading.

to support the common good.
 

As long as you lead with an intention to support the common good…all will benefit. Leadership does have a very distinct dark side and stories are legion of leaders who have contributed to the collective demise of groups of people and whole nations in fact.
 

If the results of your first visions and plans are not positive, but your intentions are…people will follow and support you and your vision until that common good becomes reality.

This is my definition of Leadership.