What is leadership?

I have spent a lot of my life studying concepts like servant leadership, team building, and mentorship. I lean towards those concepts, but the reality is that history is filled with leaders who have been narcissistic, authoritarian tyrants. While I don't recommend that style of leadership, the truth is that it is not enough to be nice and kind - you truly need to lead.

As a leader you need to focus on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your team and getting them to work together like a well-oiled machine. You don't have to do everything. And everyone doesn't have to be you. In fact if they are, some of you are redundant. Leaders set a compelling course and take others on the journey to a mutually beneficial reward. I am an advocate for being a compassionate human leader, but you still have to lead if you want the joy of accomplishing your goals.