What is Leadership?
In our last post about leadership, we tackled the myth of the born leader, and described the short-comings of today’s off-the-shelf programs – many that are expensive, popular and deliver no lasting ROI.
We then provided a succinct definition distilled from our years of experience and applied learning. We did this because clarity is to learning as fuel is to an engine. It speeds it up. There are three reasons for this.
A clear definition of leadership makes understanding it easier. If you can’t define it, you can’t learn it, you can’t live it, you can’t become “it”. Leadership is not a mystical, magical thing. Leadership is not a gift endowed on a chosen few. Yes, there are a handful of people that show a natural talent for leadership, but the majority of people with leadership quality became leaders. Read up on great leaders, from Winston Churchill to Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Warren Buffett to Condoleezza Rice, and you will learn they all confronted and overcame enormous personal and professional setbacks.
The second reason we invested in defining leadership is that it shows more clearly the skills required and the path and progress to become leaders. Defining leadership lets us define excellence. Defining excellence lets us define aspirational goals to reach for.
The last reason we invested in defining leadership is because – despite decades of industry and academic research, there is no single generally-accepted definition of leadership, nor an aligned set of principles. So
Surely, that can’t be true. Right? Surely there is a clear, concise definition that all the sages and experts agree on, right?
No Really, What is Leadership?
As it turns out, no. In fact, for the average professional looking across the vast ocean of information for guidance on what experts say, below is a graphic to illustrate what some experts say to the question, “what is leadership.”
Korn Ferry, Harvard Business Review, the Center for Organizational Change Excellence – these are all respected organizations, and all have varying views. And you know what? None of them are wrong. Some definitions drill down to the “101 qualities of a leader” while others try to sum it up in four main principles.
The problem is, where do you go from here with these lists? The goal is developing skills and integrating them into a toolkit that fits you, your background, your existing skills, and the growth direction you hope to go.
At Distilled Leadership we start with a clear and fantastic vision of what successful leadership looks like, and built our leadership coaching programs from the ground up based on this definition. Here it is:
Leadership is the ability to inspire and motivate people to follow you on a journey toward a goal, a vision, or future state.
This is the essence of what leadership is. What leadership does. What leadership means. And what good leadership development would focus on.
We break this down in our on-boarding discussions with clients and they see why it’s going to be a different and more rewarding experience.
What is different is the notion that there’s a journey. Like learning any skill, you have your own previous experience and expertise to apply to this process, and you have your own way of learning. What an effective leadership program like Distilled Leadership does is provide clarity and a flexible structure, playing to your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses to help you hone your skills.. How do you get people to see your vision? How will they work together to reach that vision? How do you make the journey worthwhile? How do you inspire people to follow you?
Whatever it is, the What and the How matter; and that’s how we help you do better.
On To the Hard Stuff
The foundation of leadership is leading change, since successful organizations are shaped by their environment and, in turn, leaders shape their organization. We coach “Change Leadership” based on the universal rules, or truths, that are at the heart of why people change, why they resist change, and how a group of people when led well, will readily unite to help bring change to life.
The Three Truths of Change
In the next three posts, we’ll be exploring the Three Truths of Change:
Change Happens in Stages
Change Creates Resistance
We’ll explore each truth in detail and discuss why understanding these truths can make you a better leader.
Have a question? Have an idea for a post? Need help? Contact me and let me know.
You can also learn more about Distilled Leadership’s personal leadership coaching and executive training programs.