What is Leadership?

Leadership is vague. Unfortunately, leadership is also one of the most overblown words of this century. It pops up everywhere; it is the universal aspiration. The thing about leadership is that you don't really know anything about it until you have it. And even then you wonder if what you have can be called leadership.

I want to offer a very specific definition of leadership: responsibility. Leadership, simply put, is responsibility. To be a leader, then, is to be responsible for something. In many cases, the leader is responsible for making something happen. This means that the leader must figure out logistics, plan ahead, communicate the plan, and see that something through--troubleshooting any obstacles and ultimately taking any blame for mistakes. Leadership in this light is opening doors, creating opportunities, etc.

Being this kind of leader does not mean that people will follow you. To have followers, what one needs is influence, not leadership. Some leaders probably will never have much influence. Some people who really do practice leadership by being responsible for important, behind-the-scenes things are in this category. Some people who have influence, likewise, aren't necessarily responsible for influence in that area. They probably are people responsible for something, but where they have influence could be very divorced from their work.

Of course, it's probably more common that a responsible leader will attain influence through his or her dedication and diligence (which are parts of responsibility). Leadership and influence should not be confused, however, because influence is most powerfully won through personal contact, not competency. This is why it is essential for would-be leaders to get to know the people they are leading, for it is in this way that they will attain high levels of influence. Otherwise they will just be a workhorse, maybe even a tyrant.

Leadership, in sum, is making something happen. Anyone who is responsible and competent can practice leadership. Influence, on the other hand, is being a person that people will follow. Influence is much trickier; it is the product of passion and compassion raised to the power of commitment. Not everyone can be influential in this way, but it is important for every program to have a person of influence. For any program to be successful, a number of leaders are needed, but only necessarily one person of influence.

The person of influence must, moreover, be the guardian of vision. Vision is like glue; it is what holds a body of people together. A person of influence must have this vision and intentionally lead people toward it. That journey, of course, will have things that need to happen, but this leadership can be delegated. Vision can be caught, it is contagious, but it cannot be delegated in the same way. One, influential visionary is needed; he or she is the bond that holds people together. For this reason, the visionary's task is much more social than it is logistical, though certainly an incompetent bond will only lead to disintegration. Vision, moreover, requires experience because contextless passion cannot be intentional.