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Leadership defined
What is leadership? The term gets thrown around a lot, but what is it really? What do leaders do which makes them leaders? Can leadership be learned? I hope to answer these questions in the following paragraphs by comparing leadership traits and principles to an actual CEO, Larry W. Bonds.
Fortunately, leadership can be learned. This is good, because true leaders are in high demand and in short supply in every field. To be an effective leader, though, you must first understand what leadership is and what traits a leader exhibits. Contrary to popular belief, leadership is indelibly linked to character; without character, no leader can be truly successful.
Webster's Dictionary defines leadership as the "capacity to lead". The United States Army defines leadership as "influencing people?by providing purpose, direction, and motivation?while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization". Former President Ronald Reagan put it in a very practical way:
"A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough."
Purpose & goal are vital to successful leadership
Regardless of the definition used, leadership must have a worthwhile purpose. Without a specific goal, leadership can degrade into an exercise in self-enrichment rather than mission accomplishment. For example, you should not aspire to be an executive vice president for the large salary. Rather, you should aspire for high office in order to accomplish specific goals for the improvement of the company, whether financially or otherwise.
Vision is the ...