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Leadership

Leadership is a decision, not a position
Leaders provide an inspiring focus that attracts followers.   We call this the attraction principle. Think of Gandhi, Kennedy, Mandela, as examples of leaders who attracted a great following. The same can be observed in the business world. Business leaders such as Disney, Walton, and Welch all knew what it was they wanted to create. They had big ideas whose time had come. When they attracted followers, they did so because they offered meaning and hope. And they believed in what they were attempting to achieve, implicitly and unquestionably.

• For example, Sam Walton in the early days of Wal-Mart knew that he wanted to create an organization that would be the #1 discounter in small town America
• Jack Welch set his sights firmly on GE being the #1 or #2 in each business sector that they operated in.
• Walt Disney just wanted to 'make people happy'.
Three characteristics in particular are evident with these stated aims. They are:
• Simple
• Challenging
• A meaningful end result
These leaders avoided being too precise, because they wanted to give themselves, and their followers, lots of room for innovation and creativity, lots of 'elbow room'. Yet their focus was clear. They demonstrated that you could have a clear focus without being too specific or directive.
They also knew that followers needed to be leaders also, because each of them would need to attract other followers, in fact making the whole thing 'viral'.

WHY ARE LEADERS IMPORTANT?
Leaders Manage Through Times of Change

They determine direction.
They move organizations from where they are to where they need to be.
Leaders Make Things Happen

They shape the culture.
They use the management tools.
Leaders are Revolutionaries

They face reality and mobilize appropriate resources.
They encourage others to do the same
Leading vs. Managing -- They're Two Different Animals
Are you a manager or a leader? Although you may hear these two terms...