Leadership for Intelligence Professionals   

Other Definitions for Public Leadership

“An Operational Definition of Leadership” provided by Montgomery Van Wart for those engaged in public service.

Leadership is a complex process involving the acts of:

1.      assessing one’s environment and one’s leadership constraints;

2.      developing the necessary leadership traits and skills (such as integrity, self-confidence, a drive for excellence, and skill in communications and influencing people);

3.      refining and modifying one’s style for different situations;

4.      achieving predetermined goals;

5.      continually self-evaluating one’s performance and developing one’s potential.

Military

“Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an individual or a group of individuals in efforts toward goal achievement in a given situation.” Navy Basic Officer Leadership Course, CIN P-7C-0039.

“Leadership ...the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction and motivation.”  Army FM22-100, Military Leadership

“In its most fundamental form leadership is the art of inspiring men to perform what goes against natural instincts in order to attain a mission objective.” LtCol W. J. Harkin in "The Stuff of Leadership", Marine Corps Gazette, Sept. 2002.

“Leadership is about dealing with change....Leadership means getting people to do something that they otherwise wouldn't do---getting them to do it willingly.”  Gen Peter Schoomaker USA, Commander U.S. Special Operations Command, [later Chief of Staff of the Army] quoted by Eli Cohen and Noel Tichy in Fast Company, Sept. 1999.

“Leadership means treating sailors fairly, taking care of their needs, developing subordinates, and so many other things that no catch phrase ever can capture or any classroom can ever dispense.  Leadership is experience and instinct, learned through a person's own trials and errors....leading is what chiefs do.”  CTC James M. Murphy USN,  "No More Catch Phrases", in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Feb. 2002.

National Political

Leadership is  “...leaders acting---as well as caring, inspiring and persuading others to act---for certain shared goals that represent the values---wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations---of themselves and the people they represent.”  James MacGregor Burns, Leadership.

Leadership “...is exercised when persons with certain motives and purposes mobilize...resources so as to arouse, energize and satisfy the motives of followers.” James McGregor Burns, Leadership

Leadership is “an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect mutual purposes.” Joseph C. Rost in Leadership for the Twenty First Century.

“...leadership...is leading people back to the first principles of a nation founded on a great idea.  It is summoning the better angels of our nature to look away from leadership vulgarly and dangerously construed, toward moral leadership.” George Will, "Moral Leadership", Executive Excellence, May 2000.

“That's what Leadership is often about: reminding people of the facts of life and trying to make sure that you strike the best deal for the most people.  That's being ethical, an ethical kind of leadership.” Ralph McGill, Editor of the Atlanta Constitution, speaking of his role in fostering integration in Atlanta in 1964. Quoted by Robert Coles in Lives of Moral Leadership.

Personal

 Leadership “…is a matter of how to be, not how to do it.” Frances Hesselbein in Hesselbein on Leadership. 

“Leadership is not synonymous with authority...[but] a gift of trust.”  LTG Perry Smith USAF (Ret), Taking Charge: A Practical Guide for Leaders

“Leadership is not rank, privilege, titles or money.  It’s responsibility.” Gen. Colin Powell USA (Ret), quoted by Oren Harari in Modern Maturity, Jan/Feb 2002.

“You have achieved excellence in leadership when people will follow you anywhere, even if only out of curiosity.” Gen Colin Powell USA (Ret), "Quoteable Quotes", Readers Digest, August 1997.