A hundred books. A thousand lectures. A million posts. Everybody has a take on leadership. But what is it?
As a VP in a small (9 people) tech firm, I’ve turned over this question many times in my mind. Recently, while going through some executive coaching material, I came across this simple definition from Henry & Richard Blackaby’s book Spiritual Leadership:
Spiritual Leadership: Moving God’s People Onto God’s Agenda
Our organization is a faith-based non-profit, and this is obviously a faith-based definition of leadership. However, it seems pretty transcendent. It could easily read “Moving Acme’s people onto Acme’s agenda.”
Directing organizational change, aligning vision, refocusing on core values – none are easy. But this little definition helps me to keep in mind what leaders are about.
Q: What’s your definition of leadership?
Jan 09, 2012 @ 10:34:55
Jerry, during some of Dave Ramsey’s leadership-oriented seminars (especially EntreLeadership) he asks the audience for words that describe leaders. Some of the ones I remember well are Communication, Vision, Principles, and Driven. Hmmm… I think those would all fit the description you’ve expressed.
Jan 09, 2012 @ 10:45:55
Thanks, Tony. These are certainly many of the tools the leader needs to bring to the table.
Part of the reason I like the Blackaby definition is that it provides a measurement component. Movement is something I can measure, although it’s far more art than science.
Looking forward to connecting with you next month in Atlanta.
Jerry