Developing Leadership Abilities

What Is a Leader?

This is not intended as a Zen question, such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” We’re contemplating, as we invite you to, whether the question “What is a leader?” can be answered in any useful way. Of course we could cheat a bit and reply, “A leader is one who leads”—but that simply begs the question.

Your Turn Play along for a moment with a short experiment that may help us define a leader or perhaps show us why such attempts at definitions are difficult and risky. Please jot down the names of at least three friends or acquaintances you consider to be strong leaders. It doesn’t matter for now whether they lead a huge company or a small club, whether they are related to you or are classmates or work associates. Simply ...