In 1964 the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a ruling that reversed a previous ruling by the State of Ohio banning the showing of what they deemed an obscene film entitled The Lovers that was being screened at the Heights Art Theatre in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
After yielding remarkably different opinions across the bench of the Supreme Court, Justice Potter Stewart’s opinion was most unique stating, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be (obscene), and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.”
There are troves of content available and promoted on the idea of leadership.
Leadership, although hard to define, is a trait among people that one could easily mimic Justice Stewart’s opinion by saying, “I shall not define (leadership), but I know it when I see it”.
Leadership is birthed out of the Latin word “ductus” which suggests the ideas of guiding, conducting, drawing, pulling, taking, commanding, marching, and forging.
Leadership can be hard to define because leadership is complex, and explains why developing leaders require focus, attention, and a roadmap.
In its simplest, purest form, the dictionary defines leadership as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization.”
It may also be helpful to have a peek into what leadership is not. Leadership is not coercing, forcing, cajoling, conniving, or deceiving.
Leadership is not commanding, controlling, dictating, or forcing. That is an authoritarian mandate, not leadership.
Leadership is guiding and going before. Leadership is embracing a continual state of risk because under healthy leadership, followers always have an option.
How can you tell the difference between a leader and a manager? A leader casts vision, influences behavior, and inspires accountability and action. A manager ensures that the strategic elements of the vision are mapped out and executed.
The 1960’s in America were a time of significant civil unrest, and also a time of significant leadership as President John F. Kennedy casts his Moonshot vision, and Martin Luther King Jr led his infamous march on Washington.
JFK never set pen to paper with rocket engineering plans or fuel displacement calculations, and yet he led thousands of young scientists to do what was impossible.
MLK set a flame using the words of his mouth to ignite a peaceful resistance among thousands towards a racially integrated and unified vision acknowledging that “we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Leadership is a conviction towards healthy transformation, towards creating opportunity, towards inviting those who desire a peace-filled future into a life forward motion.
Dr. King compelled such motion through his vivid invitation saying, “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
What is leadership? Here is a potential definition to guide us…
Leadership is one person, or a group of people, who are compelling willing followers to keep moving forward to a defined and shared vision.
Over the coming modules, we will be walking through and defining the ingredients of what healthy leadership looks like so you can begin to feast and compel others to move forward.
Leadership may still be hard to define, but you will know it when you see it.
ACTION: write a one-sentence definition of what you think leadership is and share it at your next team meeting.
