New Leader 101 Lesson 2 What’s Your Definition of Leadership?

Sure, it’s possible to lead without even having thought about it Most leaders probably haven’t given much thought to it To complicate matters, there is no agreed upon definition of leadership But, the question is still relevant because it is so basic You’re a leader and you ought to have a pretty good idea of what leadership means so that you can apply it to your day-to-day responsibilities Knowing what you mean by it becomes a foundational part of your approach to leadership

A Few Definitions of Leadership “The action of leading a group of people or an organization” – Oxford English Dictionary “The process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives” – Gary Yukl “The art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations” – Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner “A process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task“ – Martin Chemers

What Leadership Is and Is Not Leadership is: A process Involves influencing others Happens within the context of a group Is goal oriented Is based on shared goals Leadership is not: A set of inborn characteristics or traits A right to which you are entitled About possessing power or control over others About you or your ego

Adopt or Build Your Own Definition of Leadership What are the common elements of the various definitions of leadership? For instance, from a previous slide: A process Involves influencing others Happens within the context of a group Is goal oriented Is based on shared goals Example, using these elements, here’s a working definition of leadership: “Leadership is a process that involves influencing the members of a group to achieve shared goals”

Summary If you’re a leader, it follows that you ought to have a good idea of what leadership means Although there is no agreed upon definition of leadership, it is possible to find commonality between them In order to know what leadership means, understand what it is not Adopt or build your own definition of leadership Having your own definition of leadership will help you stay grounded in your role as a leader rather than being bounced around on the waves of fad or opinion.

Homework Answer the following questions: 1.What are the key elements of leadership? 2.Which ones resonate most with me? 3.What is my definition of leadership? 4.How does that definition stack up with those of leadership experts?