Leadership Defined

"And -- and -- and -- I'm a leader. I'm a leader. I've always been a leader. I've never had any problem leading people. If I say do it, they're going to do it. That's what leadership is all about."

Is it really about that? 

I overheard this quote from someone on TV a few months back and it immediately caught my attention. I quickly made note of it as I am in a School Leadership graduate program where leadership is definitely on my mind and something in which I am continually seeking out how to lead well. 

So what is it to me? Here is an excerpt from my philosophy of leadership that includes my definition:

Defining leadership is an important first step in order to provide a basis for what it is, as a leader, I am trying to do. Unfortunately, defining leadership is no simple task. In terms of leadership, “there are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define it” (Northouse, 2013, p. 2). Because there is no clear definition of leadership, the word can take on different meanings depending on the person or situation. Marzano, Waters, and McNulty echo this sentiment in their research by listing numerous theories and theorists that all show what effective leadership can be (2005, p. 27). Leadership has multiple dimensions to it, and it is an extremely complex idea (Northouse, 2013, p. 1). However, having many different thoughts and theories about what effective leadership is, is not necessarily be a bad thing. God has created each human unique, with different gifts and abilities imparted to each one. Therefore, a good leader should tap into the strengths of the leadership in people around them because of the complexity that can come with leadership. Using the different gifts is a vital piece, but along with that, the people must know what they are working towards. This is where a leader needs to provide a shared vision with a plan of action. An old proverb expresses this by saying, “A vision without a plan is just a dream. A plan without a vision is just drudgery. But a vision with a plan can change the world” (as cited in Marzano et. al. 2005, p. 98). I believe these are two key aspects of defining leadership: using gifts others around you and providing a vision. Northouse offers a definition that gets close to what this type of leadership is by saying “leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (2013, p. 5). For my personal definition, I would tweak it slightly and define it as the following: 

Leadership is a process where an individual influences and helps shape a vision with other individuals while all walk along side of and learn from one another along the way.