A conversation about leadership needs to start somewhere. A good place to start is establishing the core need for leadership. As in, if people could get stuff done without leadership, we wouldn’t have much to talk about. My take is that groups of people need a common sense of purpose or direction, with each group member understanding how they can shape their contribution to optimally boost the overall performance of the group. That would be a good start. It applies to a small group of volunteers working on a simple project to the largest organization we can imagine. And it is roughly the same thing that each of us needs, in our internal lives, to overcome baseline inertia and to set and achieve goals.
Leadership is distinct from the control function, although one rarely exists without the other, and often are combined in smaller organizations. Control involves ensuring that a group’s framework of financial, regulatory, internal process and conduct requirements is maintained. Leadership may have a hand in establishing such stuff but would rather not spend too much time focused there. Control is generally perceived as negative, leadership inspirational, although perhaps counter-intuitively, effective control strengthens leadership.
Leadership is a soup of ingredients but is generally attributed to those who are respected by the group. Such respect can arise in different ways. For example, the practice of listening carefully to group members and identifying a way forward (often a compromise) addressing all contributions and connecting the way forward to known objectives. Group problem solving needs that form of leadership. Other ingredients: Subject matter expertise, unexpected heavy lifting, helping and recognizing group members, being a voice for group members who choose not to use theirs.
Leadership does not spring from formal authority. Nor is it to be attributed to charismatic individuals (although people are attracted to charisma). To exert influence over a group either through delegated power or by influence of personality is more closely aligned with control. In either case, leadership can only arise through successfully earning the respect of the group and becoming, to some extent, an integrated part of the group.
Then there is the thing we call political leadership. That beast is related to selling stuff and has little to do with how people get things done. Typically, it is a messaging balancing act directed at people whom you may never meet by telling them things they are expected to want to hear or how they should think. In the world of political leadership, charisma is a cherished asset.
Leadership in its truest form is characterized as pragmatic or practical in its relationship with group activity and interests. It is nurtured through actions and deeds, typically by people who are not pre-occupied with the gathering of power, although that is often the outcome of successful leadership. The purpose here is to further explore practical leadership with helpful illustrations that may inspire others.
