Chapter One
Leadership is a Responsibility, Not a Badge of Honour
Leadership is action, not position.
Donald H. McGannon
Leadership is neither a rank nor a title. Leadership is a position with responsibility. It is not a position to be appointed by others. It is the people who give such position to deserving leaders. Thorn (1996), in developing his 14 guides for successful leadership, includes concepts like ‘charismatic’, ‘visionary’, ‘driven’, ‘inspirational’, ‘coach’ and ‘cheerleader’ in an effort to describe a leader. He goes on to note, ‘Leadership … is a gift presented … by your employees after you have proven yourself worthy of having it’ (ibid.: 14–16). Hence, leaders cannot claim that position, but people will give that position ...
Get 21 Success Sutras for Leaders now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
