What makes a leader?

[cjsmith]

Inspired by some thoughts on leadership in the journal of hopeforyou. (Hope, if you'd like more specific attribution (quotes or a direct link), lemme know and I'll add it.)


I think of leadership as distinct from managing, teaching, being knowledgeable or experienced, planning an event, giving orders, being elected to a position of power, having a title, or saying who does and does not belong in one's group. A lot of my ideas about leadership were first formed in the military. Since then I've added, refined, and grown my ideas about what makes a leader.

For me to think of a person as a leader, I have to have a healthy portion of respect for the person. I can be managed, bossed, taught, or helped by someone whom I do not respect, but I cannot be led by such a person; I wouldn't volunteer to follow someone I didn't look up to in any way.

When I think of the leaders I have most respected in my life, I find that the best ones have also been role models. Respect and looking-up-to and role model are all intertwined to some extent in my mind.

A boss or manager can tell me what to do and have me do it. A leader can tell me what to do, or even what is needed, and have me go to great lengths to do it well and perhaps throw in some other helpful chores while I'm at it. I think the distinction here is that for a leader, I want to do it.

A religious authority, evangelist, teacher, coach, or sometimes just a jerk can tell others what they SHOULD do. A leader can inspire others or can electrify a group for a common goal.

A person in a position of power can get respect because he demands it. A good leader, as I think of one, can get respect without demanding it.

A good leader works with the group he's got. Anyone who can't or won't lead the ones he's got, and who gets to pare the group down, is a manager -- another very respectable skill set, but not exactly the same set. Someone who gives orders is a boss; bosses can be leaders also, but usually aren't, sadly.

In most levels of the military, leadership has less of one interesting piece that's present in civilian life: in the military, some goals are predetermined. A new recruit already knows he's going to need to be fit. It's not a new idea to him. A platoon leader or platoon sergeant might have to explain to the troops why a tight perimeter defense is a good idea, but he doesn't have to invent the concept. He just has to get his people to do it. I think coming up with new concepts and goals, where needed, can also be part of being a leader.

"Leading by example" is an important piece, too. Because of the fitness goal, Army folk may say that the best leaders are very fit. I think slightly differently: the best leaders are willing to work at being very fit. If some guy excels at the fitness test through luck and good genes, that may not help inspire his people to improve. But if some guy is improving his score on the fitness test because he's out there at oh-dark-thirty doing a run each morning, well, his people can take something from that.

In the square dance community, I've heard people distinguish strongly between "leaders" and "event planners". Callers are placed in the role of leader, and are often labeled as such by square dancers, though any individual caller may not be at all good at such a role. In many cases, however, callers would do better to avoid being organizers. Interesting, that! It's hard for me to articulate clearly the problems that have arisen among that set of people when a leader is also an event planner. I think it has something to do with the idea of a leader serving all, but an event planner making a necessarily-limited guest list. In any case, I have seen enough trouble from that that I now follow the general unwritten rule in that community: I call, therefore I rarely organize.

This has gotten long and I feel like I've still not reached the heart of it, just described the shape of its skin and the color of its shirt. Perhaps this is a good summation so far: For me, a leader is someone whom I want to follow.

Comments

[uncledark.livejournal.com]

Very interesting post. Perhaps the next place to go is to examine what qualities a person has to have in order to inspire you like a true leader does. It's not authority, any boss has that. It's not expertise, (hopefully) teachers have that. Charisma? Maybe, but good actors would have that and not all good actors are leaders. So what, then?

[firecat]

I'm not CJ but what inspires me in a leader boils down to caring, competence, and respecting others. A good leader cares about what they're doing and cares about doing it well. They also know how to succesfully rely on other people to help bring about what they want to happen, which means they have to understand other people's abilities and interests. Also, they genuinely care for and respect the people they are leading.

This also means a good leader understands the limits of what they can do.

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

I'd say it was a blend of expertise (I can't really respect someone who doesn't *know* what s/he's doing), charisma (personability if you prefer), and vision. To be a leader, you need to know where you're going and where you want to go strongly enough that the sheer force of your dreaming can pull other people along.

[firecat]

For me, a leader is someone whom I want to follow.

I agree with every bit of what you say. Very good post!

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Well spoken, CJ. (Of course.) :^)