In preparation for attending this seminar, I’ve done a lot of thinking about what good leadership is.  I’ve had plenty of conversations about leadership and heard plenty of theories on leadership.  Some people believe we must hold a position or title to be a leader, while others believe leadership is something that comes from within regardless of our position.  Taking both of those together, I suppose I believe it’s possible to have a leadership title in an organization and not be a good leader.

If I ask myself what I believe leadership is, or if I press myself to commit to a definition, I have been gravitating toward a very broad and inclusive definition.  That is, I don’t believe someone has to have a title or position of authority to lead.  When it comes right down to it, I think leadership is having the power to influence and making the choice to act on it.

That definition, though broad, carries a lot with it.  Everyone has the power to influence, and some of us make the decision to act on it, and by that argument everyone has the potential to be a leader.  I think the question I’m mulling over now–and will mull over even more this week–is what makes a good leader?  What are the qualities a leader has to have in order to be effective over the long haul?  Besides the power to influence and making the decision to act, what are the “hows” attached to that action that determine what type of leader someone is?