Leadership Definition

Definitions of leadership vary greatly. This is the simplest of leadership definition that provided me with great clarity

“You manage things; you lead people.

—Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

This serves to clarify the difference between leadership and management. Whilst management might well be managing things through people, it is still concerned with the managing of things in the long run. Leadership by contrast concerns itself with leading people, perhaps lots of people, in one direction. Of course this applies the the battle field, but it also applies to leading cultural change in sectors or organisations, or within community or tribe.

Don’t get me wrong. I am can be a very efficient manager of things. To the extent where I have a healthy addiction to the satisfaction of tick lists.

What gives me joy however is the realisation of potential. This is the place where I can tangibly see what is possible for an individual or organisation. This is where the rightful nudges and tweaks will urge people to claim for themselves the enormity of their own possibility. Annoyingly it is called ‘thinking outside of the box’ but cliches are cliches for a reason, they are usually true. Lateral thinking: this ability to see potential to the left and the right, above and below, instead of ploughing straight on the try usual goal, can be the stroke of genius. Leadership definition often is genius!

Some people are very good at ticking all the boxes and getting to the finish line as soon as possible. Our human world might well fall apart without this essential managment of resources. Some individuals, possibly those who were prone to rebellion within strict systems (?), have the ability to see right past the norm, towards new and elegant solutions to age old problems. Leadership is not concerned with how fast you can get there. Leadership concerns itself with how well you can reach your destination, or indeed redefines the destination entirely.

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