Some words like manager, supervisor, business executive, and group leader are sometimes used as synonymous and/or interchangeably to imply LEADERSHIP. But I think most of know that managers aren't necessarily leaders and vice versa. Thus, the subject of this article "LEADERSHIP" what is it in today's terms?

"LEADERSHIP", like beauty, is sometimes in the eye of the beholder and one of the challenges we have is simply deriving a workable definition. There are many different approaches one can take. One can for instance, define LEADERSHIP as a constellation of personal traits ("She's a natural born leader") or as a characteristic of the environment (" The reason nothing ever happens around here is we don't have any leadership"), or as a visual power ("He's a great leader, a real take-charge, out-front type person"), or as a process of empowerment ("of the true leaders, when their work is done, the people will say, we did this ourselves"). We have all heard these phrases associated with LEADERSHIP.

In years gone by I was associated with projects and programs which were geared specifically to assessing LEADERSHIP. Basically, this work was an attempt to (1) define LEADERSHIP; (2) determine the necessary tasks to achieve it, (3) identify the characteristics of those who are capable of carrying out such tasks; (4) establish the means to measure those characteristics.

If success appears inevitable here, it is because to paraphrase Kierkegaard, life is tidy only when viewed backwards

To conclude this short message on LEADERSHIP, I will present for your pondering-a definition of LEADERSHIP --- (NOT IN THE DICTIONARY) "ACTIONS which focus RESOURCES to create DESIRABLE OPPORTUNITIES.

The ACTIONS of LEADERSHIP include a wide range of behaviors, such as planning, organizing, managing, (there's that word again), deciding. speaking, writing, producing, cajoling, motivating, creating, economizing, compromising, confronting, even litigating-that is, any behavior that leads to a higher probability of a desirable organizational outcome.

The RESOURCES to be focused include our Creator and the usual list of people, money, time, space, and materials. But that's only the beginning because we can include such nebulous assets such as public opinion, legislative power, unique talents, opportunistic accidents (for ex: disasters that can be turned into some useful end), geographic advantages and personal contacts.

The resulting DESIRABLE OPPORTUNITIES include the normally recognized positive outcomes of LEADERSHIP such as higher profits, better educational systems, an expanded national security, as well as other less obvious but still noble outcomes such as an improved environment, a healthier population, a reduction in international tensions, an increase in knowledge, or any specific or general increase in truth, beauty and happiness The adjective desirable is used here to insure that this definition of LEADERSHIP does not include tyranny. Hitler and Stalin influenced millions of people but by this definition, their actions did not constitute LEADERSHIP.

In closing I'll leave you with this thought. Behind every successful man there stands a surprised mother-in-law.