Leadership is a topic in fashion today. I have found almost as many definitions of it as the number of authors I have read. The challenge of defining leadership is mostly about both formulating a sentence that grasps its whole meaning yet being short and sharp enough to make it simple. The longest definition of leadership I have found is 61 pages rich integrative definition of leadership that Bruce Winston and Kathleen Patterson of Regent University have written. And the shortest I know of is John Maxwell's famous "leadership is influence". While I find the former complete yet long, the latter gives just one instrument leaders use rather than really defining what leadership is. To grasp the full essence of leadership in a definition that is still short, I offer the following: Leadership is a process of strategic action and influence whereby wonderful things are realized with people and through people consistently. Here are four measures of leadership:
- Results: You can measure your leadership by the output and most ultimately the outcome of your endeavors. Ask yourself what performance goals you did set for the company. Are you achieving them?
- Stakeholders’ commitment: How committed are your members to the mission. Are they generating creative solutions to problems? Are they going the extra mile taking the challenges that the company is facing? If they had a choice to move to a similar job in another team or company, would they rather stay with you?
- Stakeholders’ wellbeing: Gains and wellbeing are not a limited pie where “what they get is what I lose”. Selfishness mostly ensues from ignorance. Your importance and your gains are a direct reflection of how many people (members, customers, suppliers, etc.) you are touching and blessing with your work. Wise leaders practice winning together and share dividends of victories generously.
- Succession readiness: Will your current success be maintained when you or other key players at the company are gone? Readiness for succession means that you have identified and are preparing potential successors at your position and at all key strategic positions under your leadership.
Because we are describing leadership, we also need to explain what leadership is not.
- Leadership isn’t the position you hold. Positions are only contexts in which you decide to practice leadership or anything else you want.
- Leadership isn’t the power you have. In fact, power isn't even a measure of leadership. Power is just a neutral multidimensional instrument that can be used to exercise leadership or something else than it. That is the reason why we do not agree with respected John Maxwell that “leadership is influence”. Influence is just a manifestation of power.
Doctor of Strategic Leadership & Coaching
