Leadership: The Most Overused Word in Business

Like many people, I’ve been around business long enough to hear the words leader and leadership far too many times. More often than not, leaders are leaders by position—or title—rather than possessing real leadership characteristics or displaying leadership traits. While it may be the most over-used term in business, real leadership is needed.

What I do know for certain, leadership means different things to different people. As for me? I’ll follow a leader that is unwavering with his or her core values. A strong set of values provides the foundation for good decision-making—good leadership. With a strong set of values, leaders can make the hard decision—the difficult and sometimes unpopular decision.

What about a natural born leader? Impossible. Character traits are learned. Values are learned. Leaders evolve. Leaders learn. Leaders grow.

I recently came across a quote from Henry Givray, CEO of SmithBucklin, the world’s largest association management and professional services company. Givray is quoted in the book On My Honor I Will: The Journey to Integrity-Driven Leadership, by Randy G. Pennington, as saying that “Leadership is not something that is bestowed upon you or granted to you by virtue of your title or position.” He continues “…leaders are shaped and defined by character.” I couldn’t agree more. (I’m looking forward to reading this book very soon.)

A leader with character traits that are centered on strong values is well on his or her way to having followers. And without followers, is one really a leader?

Vision. Who’s seeing your vision?

Perhaps it was a test. I was responding to a contract management proposal recently and balked at the request “…please include a vision statement for the organization.” Really? Now, it was either a test to see if those responding to the Request for Proposal (RFP) could articulate the big picture of the organization or it was a weak attempt at getting their vision written by some consultant-type. Either way, I wasn’t about to write a vision statement for a potential client organization.

Could I have written a cogent, well-crafted vision statement? Sure. But the exercise of crafting a vision statement should be part of a complete organizational planning process. For a nonprofit organization, the vision statement, mission statement, and organizational goals should be developed with an appropriate group of stakeholders and thought-leaders…not a hired gun so to speak. Only then can the vision be a shared vision; one that unites and adds clarity for the organization.

Burt Nanus and Stephen Dobbs argue, in Leaders Who Make a Difference, that the most effective leaders recognize “nothing else will unite and enthuse people in a nonprofit organization so much as a shared vision.” Such a shared vision provides people with “a sense of common ownership that enables them to cooperate with and support each other in pursuit of their common destiny,” they write. If leaders are charged with sharing the vision, then ideally they will be part of its crafting.

Does your vision add clarity? Does it unite? Are you sharing the vision?