Why Leadership Hinges Upon What You Do -- Not Who You Are

Ask 10entrepreneurs about the vitalcharacteristics that great leaders possess, and more than likely you will receive 20 different answers.

With thousands of books on leadership and countless more articles, there is no shortage of commentary, opinions and debates about the entrepreneurial traits that differentiate great leaders from good leaders from the rest of the pack. Being a leader, however, goes far beyond the ability to master a trait or fill a role.

Ronald Heifetz, the director of the Leadership Education project at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and author of “Leadership Without Easy Answers” suggeststhat rather than defining leadership either as a position of authority or a personal set of characteristics, we should define leadership as an activity.

In other words, it boils down to what you do rather than who you are.

Former Illinois Central Railroad CEO, Harry J. Bruce, goes further and explains how many of the typical definitions and expectations of leadership are wrong -- and why entrepreneurs should learn not to measure themselves by these false measures.

1. Leadership is not measured by authority.

Leadership and authority may go together at times,but generally, authority is conferred to inpiduals in order to accomplish a goal, while leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish the goal. The two are not mutually exclusive, and indeed leadership can and often does happen in the absence of any authority.

2. Leadership is not pioneering.

Entrepreneurs who pioneer an innovation, create a movement or fundamentally change anindustry may be wonderful at creating new theories, concepts or products, but it hardly qualifies them to be the person to lead the implementation and expansion.

3. Leadership is not serving as a role model.

While entrepreneurs are often looked upon to serve as a positive role model for the rest of their organization, being a role model is different than being a leader. Role models have a demeanor that serves as a benchmark for how to carry oneself, but when it comes to leading, it is actions rather than appearances thatleadfollowers toward a goal.

4. Leadership is not accomplished alone.

Leadership by definition means causing action withothers, so achievements and success in the absence of a consistent following of loyal followersis not leading -- it is luck.

In the end, because leadership is based on action,the only important and common capability ofgreat leaders is the ability to understandmotivations. By being self-aware of what drives you as well as whatdrives those around you, great leaders learn toleveragemotivationsto make their vision that of their followers and eventually act togethertoward agoal. The job is infinitely easier when you surround yourself with inpiduals with shared motivations.

No entrepreneurembodies this better thanSteve Jobs, who famously was abrasive, demanding and difficult to work with. 58003

Taking on the actions of a leader is noteasy. Because leaders lead, they are often the first to fail, a frightening fact thatfor many can be difficult to overcome. As well, because leaders are always leading, entrepreneurs need a healthy doseof physical and mental stamina.

At least entrepreneurs can stop measuringtheir leadership ability against other successful entrepreneurs ora Myers-Briggs personality test. If you want to be a great leader, all it takes is action -- so get going.