Leadership. The scarcest of talents in the entire human gene pool - is leadership. Think about the American presidents of your lifetime. How many were true leaders? Not many. What about your workplace. Do you report to a leader, or just another herder/driver. Most people who assume positions of ultimate responsibility are not trained in the art of leadership. They may have countless hours of tutelage in every management technique under the sun. But, leadership is misunderstood and thus ignored in our learning institutions.
So...does your boss lead or herd? Which category would you put our current president in? And what about the senior pastor at your church? Leader or herder? When the buck stops with you, do you lead? It takes less effort to herd, don't you think?
How would you define leadership? And for that matter, is it all that bad to be a herder ... if you're good at it? The most puzzling aspect of this is; it's actually easier to lead than to herd. Herders are easily trapped in micromanagement of operational details. Leaders, on the other hand, are able to keep their heads up and their eyes on the horizon. The ship sails better with the captain on the bridge, than if he is below decks tinkering with the engine.
A leader must master the arts of discernment, communication and network building. If you have acquired those talents and you surround yourself with great people, success is just a matter of time.
So.....are you a leader?
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