What is a Leader?
- A leader is someone who people choose to follow: PERIOD.
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A leader influences others to do things that they may not otherwise do.
- Through the initiatives undertaken by the remarkable leaders recognized by this organization, those leaders improve the lives of affiliated individuals and organizations.
- Ideally, the effective leader is a person of integrity.
- It takes no title to be a leader, and it is crucial to understand the difference between managing and leading. Philosophically, a person must be a leader first: then a manager. A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily a leader, although frequently organizations confuse the two. The chart below clarifies the difference between leaders and managers.
| Manager | |
| You have your affairs managed—when you are managed you are told what to do | You follow a leader willingly by choice |
| Merely oversight | Decision making |
| People either abide by or rebel against someone they view as simply a boss | People follow their leader |
| A position of authority bestowed upon someone | A position of respect earned by actions |
What does a leader do?
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The leader sets the course and makes sure everyone in the canoe is paddling in the same direction.
