Greetings! I primarily work with people who lead substantial small and middle market companies. I call them CEOs - and some consider themselves company presidents or even business owners. They are all leaders, all successful - and nearly all struggle to be better at leading their companies. Albert Schweitzer said, "Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier." 
One of the problems I encounter when helping others in this pursuit is that most people don't have a clear definition of leadership. We all seem able to recognize good leadership it when we see it - but often struggle to define the qualities that make people great leaders. There is also a blurring of the lines that distinguish leadership and management skills - as they are both essential to running high-performing organizations. "You manage things; you lead people." - Grace Murray Hopper* To mange is to control. Controlling systems, processes and technology is critical to running an effective organization. But people don't want to be handled or manipulated - and attempting to control people in the workplace is futile at best - and usually produces disastrous results. People want to be guided - and at the core, this is what leadership is all about. All human beings have a desire to learn, to grow and contribute value or meaning to their world. A leader is someone others trust to guide them in a common purpose towards a common goal. The leader's job is to provide direction, offer purpose for the journey and bring the best of your personal resourcefulness to the effort in order to support those trusting you to guide them. This is true whether you are leading a company, your family or simply your life. There is a good article in Harvard Business Review blogs, True Leaders Are Also Managers, by Robert I. Sutton - a professor of management science at Stanford University - and author of Good Boss, Bad Boss. He furthers this discussion on the distinction between managing and leading - and makes a clear argument why leaders must to both. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/08/true_leaders_are_also_managers.html Three years ago I was introduced to Strozzi Leadership Training and took their five-day Leadership Dojo program. (I strongly recommend Strozzi as the only process among many I've explored - that actually increased my ability to lead more effectively.) Along with a great many valuable things I discovered about the art of leadership and about myself, I learned that three of the most important qualities of leadership are: - Being present - we must be a part of what we lead,
- Being connected - we must touch or connect with the people we lead in order to create the trust and safety required for them to follow us,
- Being Centered - we must be dependable and have the presence of mind (and body) to be fully resourceful when those we lead turn to us for guidance.
Leadership does not require being charismatic - or being the smartest or the most capable person in the room. Great leaders demonstrate how to be - not necessarily what to do. In fact, great leaders can surround themselves with people smarter and more capable than themselves - because they recognize and even help develop the greatness of others to drive teamwork, foster collaboration and inspire innovation in their organizations. Great leaders inspire great things in the people they lead by demonstrating personal qualities like integrity, vulnerability and humility. These are all are more valuable to others than the ability to grandstand, make speeches or impress people with what is often no more than inflated egos. The quality of our leadership is measured in the success of those we lead. The paradox of leadership is that when we do it best, we step back and allow others to take the lead. The ascension of leadership is to become one who leads by following others. Great military leaders pull back behind their troops as they engage in battle. From the rear, like the goalkeeper in soccer, they can see the entire battle and offer their best guidance. But more importantly, when we develop leadership in others, Don Schmincke, (a distinguished Vistage speaker and the author of High Altitude Leadership - see below) notes, the leader no longer has to bring their organization into the future, instead their organization drags the leader into the future. The other paradox is that the best guidance isn't delivered through great advice -but by asking great questions. As always, wishing you a great and successful week ahead. 
Philip R. Liebman Managing Director, Strat4 Group Chair, Vistage International
PS - Fiscal Leadership Workshop on June 29th is Postponed - I will announce the new date when it is set. | 
