What is Leadership?

Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

– Dwight D. Eisenhower

What is Leadership? And does our understanding of it need to change for today’s world?

When we think of Leadership we visualize a larger-than-life individual in charge of some group – team, company or country.

We try to define leadership on the basis of how the greatest leaders behave, which means that leadership is glorified. Unfortunately, this way of thinking about Leadership overlooks everyday kinds of leadership.

Albert Einstein once said, “We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles but no personality.

It cannot lead; it can only serve.” Leaders
know and science has discovered emotionality’s deeper purpose: the timeworn mechanisms of emotion allow two human beings to receive the contents of each other’s minds.

Emotion is the messenger of love; it is the vehicle that carries every signal from one brimming heart to another.

When asking the question “what is leadership, and what does it mean?”, I’d have to say that Leadership means that you are willing to take on responsibility and make choices for yourself.

It’s not a responsibility that was thrust upon you by someone, but a responsibility that you took upon yourself because you believe that you are the best man or woman for the job. And once you make this choice for yourself you automatically have no other option but to become a leader.