ASPECTS OF LEADERSHIP

by Charles E. McCallum

Leadership is service. The leader serves those who are led and the organization of which they
are members. Viewing the organization as an enduring institution, the leader also serves
those who may become its future members.

Leadership is strategic. The leader keeps the organization true to its strategy. The leader’s
obligations are to help the organization formulate and articulate its strategy, to make sure
strategy is visibly linked to actions, and to lead periodic re-evaluations of strategy in
response to changes in the environment.

Leadership is visionary. The leader looks to the future and helps the organization and its
members anticipate and prepare for that future. This requires the leader to challenge the
organization and its members to move outside their comfort zones.

Leadership is caring. The leader cares deeply about the organization, its mission, its future, and
its members. The leader’s goal is to help each person in the organization, whether
member, staff, or leadership, achieve that person’s full potential in the organization.

Leadership is developmental. The leader is a builder who seeks to leave the organization and its
members better off. The leader also provides for leadership succession, identifying,
mentoring, and training potential successors.

Leadership is respectful. The leader respects the people in the organization, whether members,
staff, or leadership. The leader understands that he or she is but one in a succession of
leaders who have built the organization over the years, and respects their legacy. The
leader also understands that he or she cannot command respect, but must earn it.

Leadership is collegial. The leader is part of a leadership team with whom the leader willingly
shares leadership responsibilities. The leader is a coach and mentor for that team.

Leadership is transparent. The leader is a persistent, insistent communicator. The leader has no
hidden or personal agendas. Leadership proceeds on the premise that informed, collective
decisions are the best decisions.

Leadership is true to culture and values. The leader understands the organization’s unique
culture, and knows the essential difference between culture, on the one hand, and mere
custom and tradition, on the other. The leader embraces, promotes, and seeks to advance
the values of the organization.

Leadership is joyful. The leader enjoys the role, finding it energizing and fulfilling. Because the
leader genuinely respects and cares for the organization and its members, he or she views
leadership as a privilege and honor, not as a burden nor as a means to another end.

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