A New Definition of "Leadership" for 2022
Daniel G. Taylor
Raising Young Men from Adversity to Prosperity Through Business ?? | CEO & CMO @ Mayer Marketing Agency ?? | Direct-Response Copywriter & Freelance Writer ?? | Mental Health Speaker ???
Let's start by looking at two older definitions of "leadership."
For John C. Maxwell (1998), "Leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less."
And Dr Stephen R. Covey (2020) provides a slightly longer definition, also explaining the difference between "management" and "leadership":
"Management is a bottom-line focus: How can I best accomplish certain things? Leadership deals with the top line: What are the things I want to accomplish? In the words of both Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."
I'd like to propose a new definition of leadership:
Leadership is getting a result while ensuring everyone has a great time along the way.
Consider an example:
Look at how this would apply to an events coordinator. She has to get the result—delivering a great conference or event.
But if that was all she had to do, it wouldn't matter so much how she did it.
Instead, she's excelled at her job when not only does she deliver the result, but her clients, speakers, tech team, and all the other stakeholders have had a great time as she's gone about it.
What do you think of this definition? How does it apply to your job?
REFERENCES
Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change (Revised and updated) (p.115). Simon & Schuster.
Maxwell, J. C. (1998). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and people will follow you (p. 17). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Analyst at JHKim Analysis
1 年I think you statement is good. I am not sure how it would apply to leadership in a war. Definitions are supposed to define, specify, set a boundary, while fixing with precision. In the end people should know how after the definitions. That is not to say they will know all, but the boundary is set. They definition should apply to any context, not a different definition depending on a style, author, or context. The leadership is influence, nothing more nothing less is far from the truth and science. Why? Influence is influence, my mentor says. It is something normally around when leadership is not present. Then there is good and bad influence. He also says, "babies influence." I do not think we call this type of influence leadership. Often enough it is these popular but sayings that shape the environment contributing to what we see today - low trust and confidence with many crises. The best and most meaningful definition seen to date is: "leadership is a complex multi-triadic relational practice of right-influence and or inspiration, towards purposes and transcendence.
?? Let's help you up that ladder of success ~ if you're a Business Owner or a Corporate Rockstar ?? let's get you to your ideal scene by giving the structure and foundations you need??
3 年Good Article Daniel G. Taylor