Leadership, Pornography, and a Visit to Justice Stewart

Do we really know it when we see it?

Recently I was thinking about all the different definitions and descriptions people have for “leadership”. I think the same thing could probably be said for “leader”. If you ask 100 people to
define either term, you’re likely to get 100 idiosyncratic definitions, often with very differing perspectives. And I find that reality a bit troublesome. Not that I have the perfect answer, either.

A visit to Justice Stewart

Perhaps it’s my desire for a bit more certainty, and less of an appetite for an “it depends” type of reality. And yet many times, I end up feeling like US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, who wrote in the obscenity case of Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964):
“I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it.”

In this case, Justice Stewart was referring to pornography (not that there’s a direct connection to leadership). Nonetheless, I think we can all relate to the “I’ll know it when I see it” comment when it comes to defining leadership. And that’s what I find a bit frustrating and yet also interesting.

Do you know what a dentist is?

We don’t seem to have a problem in defining or getting general agreement on what is a dentist, a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, a police officer, an architect, etc.

But ask people, “What is a leader?” and it’s time to go to visit Justice Stewart.

And as much as I can tolerate the vagueness of it all, it does bother me that after all the pages and pages of articles, essays, and books written on leadership, and all the tweets, blogs, podcasts, etc. about leadership, we still seem to be in the fog somewhat.

Although leadership isn’t exactly pornography (most of the time), many of us may struggle to define it but still feel like we know it when we see it.

My attempt at a definition

With that said, here’s my attempt:

“Leadership is the sustained ability to achieve extraordinary results by engaging the collective efforts of others.”

What’s your definition of “leadership”?

Click here, and share your thoughts and suggestions with me.