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« How To Troubleshoot Change | Leading Blog Main Page | Change the Way You See Yourself » 05.25.08
Tom Peters on the Definition of Leadership Tom Peters’ offers his definition of leadership in the video below. He begins by expressing a truth that is more important than the definition itself. It is not often understood by those seeking to understand the shortcomings of leadership. “Leadership in the 21st century AD is exactly what it was in the 21st century BC. Leadership is about the development, the inducement of people to grow way beyond where they believed they could go. Nothing has changed.” Leadership hasn’t changed. Leadership is influence. Peters’ definition is summed up in this quote from Robert Altman's lifetime achievement Oscar acceptance speech: "The director allows an actor to become more than they've ever dreamed of being." He says that great leaders are dealers in hope. He cites Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt as examples. 
Posted by Michael McKinney at 06:56 PM
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Comments
Michael, This is a great video. The topic of leadership is so broad and deep and touches so many aspects of every organization. Two things in the video caught my attention: 1) Leaders are servants. 2) Great leaders help the people believe that “the sun will come up tomorrow.” They give hope to those whom they lead. The combination of serving others and giving them hope endears the people to their leaders. As Mr. Peters points out, principles of leadership haven’t changed since many years B.C. Environments, traditions and attitudes may change, but effective leadership principles are timeless.
-Michael
Posted by: Michael Ray Hopkin | May 28, 2008 12:27 PM
Michael,
Thanks for the video. I found it to be very insightful. I'm glad to see that Mr. Peters touched on the subject of servant based leadership because it's such an important concept in today's business world. By simply asking those you are leading, "What can I do for you?" it does two things: 1) it shows concern for the individual through empathy and 2) levels they playing field by dissolving the line between manager and subordinate yet still preserving the role of the leader (manager). Thanks again.
Posted by: Gary | May 30, 2008 08:41 PM
Michael, I have been working on this definition of leadership for several years. I think it works well with Tom's. "Exceptional Leaders asks questions to gain insights, sets direction, puts the right people in the right positions, and ensures resources are allocated to the highest priority, while engaging people to stretch beyond what is comfortable to maximize results. And doing it ethically."
Posted by: Gary B. Cohen | September 20, 2009 06:42 PM