OK, so I just put “definitions of leadership” in my search bar to do some Googling and found out there are officially almost 12 million definitions (not kidding!). Somehow, that seems like several more than we actually need. On the other hand, I suppose it confirms (beyond reasonable doubt) that leadership is different things to different people.
I further suppose it would come as a surprise to no one that we at The Center for Leadership Studies have our definition situated someplace in that sea of 12 million. What we hope is at least somewhat interesting is that we have stood by our definition for over 50 years! And, even though we have done our best to stay current on all that is out there in the realm of leadership development, we have never perceived the need to edit—or update—or mess around with—what we believe is the essence of descriptive straightforwardness when it comes to defining leadership: Leadership … is an attempt to influence!
Examples of Everyday Leaders
Simple! Broad! All-encompassing! It is (we believe) a definition that extends far beyond organizational behavior. It includes (at a minimum) the following.
Sales Professionals
A proven sales professional is a leader! This is by no means the person who appears out of nowhere on a car lot as you are looking around and says something like: “Isn’t that a beauty?” It is by comparison the person who listens, asks good questions, overcomes skepticism and doubt and influences customers by providing solutions to help them solve real problems.
Parents
A dedicated parent is a leader! These are the people, under ever-increasingly difficult circumstances, that worry, proactively, about almost everything, come running when they hear crying, talk with teachers, arrange birthday parties like professional meeting planners, encourage and celebrate any number of “baby steps,” say “NO,” talk through challenges (whatever they may be) and influence consistently over time in an effort to mold character and help their children find the right path.
Directions of Influence
In an organizational context, our definition is intentionally multidirectional. It includes influence attempts that are:
Top Down Influence
The person you report to has an inherent responsibility to influence you and the other associates on your team. It is how managers up and down the hierarchy add value (or at least that’s the way it is supposed to work!). Those influence attempts can take many forms. As we are well aware at this point, every style of leadership works—and also doesn’t! Empowerment with a tenured team is typically well-received, but that same approach with a novice team can be perceived as abdication. So, to emphasize the obvious, attempts to influence others can be successful—or not!
Lateral Influence
The flatter organizations become, the higher the premium on employees that can effectively influence across departmental boundaries. In that regard, peer influence is much akin to selling. An associate or a peer is not bound by a reporting relationship. The person doing the influencing does not have the legitimate power necessary to administer consequences in the absence of compliance. As such, effective peer leaders rely almost exclusively on building trust. That trust is typically the product of putting others first, enhancing their dignity and demonstrating functional proficiency and expertise.
Upward Influence
Generally speaking, in traditional organizations, communication has flowed from top to bottom, and responsiveness has flowed from bottom to top. The changing nature of leadership the last decade or so is best reflected by a directional reversal of that flow! As individual contributors take charge of their own engagement, they are becoming increasingly transparent with their managers regarding their readiness to perform, how their manager can more effectively align with that readiness and what they are most passionate about in their evolving career.
Learn More About Leadership With The Center For Leadership Studies
Leadership is indeed different things to different people. As such, attempts to define it should take that expansive terrain into consideration.
Contact us today to learn more about leadership!
