A Definition of Leadership
Leadership is not a scientific term. Rather, it was borrowed from the popular vocabulary. As such, it has many different meanings, varying with the user and the context. It could be argued that the term has been so overused that it should be abandoned altogether. A reasonable case could be made for starting afresh with a new term devoid of the excess baggage of its predecessor. In this chapter, I will retain the term but will try to delineate carefully what I choose to mean by it.
Exercising leadership inevitably involves having influence. One cannot lead without influencing others. Warner Burke writes about an amusing headline in a national newspaper saying, “Afghan leader lacks followers!” Of course, if no one follows, ...
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