Everyone knows what leadership is, but few people can articulate what it truly means. Creating a cohesive definition within your organization is a crucial step for developing future leaders and maintaining unity and a strong leadership focus.As part of the research for my new book, The Future Leader, I interviewed more than 140 CEOs around the world and asked them each to define leadership. Many people struggled or had to pause to think because its a word we use so frequently without really defining. We take the concept of leadership for granted and assume that we all know what leadership is and what a great leader looks like. Once the CEOs found their definitions, their answers ran the gamut. From more than 140 people, I didnt receive a single duplicate response.

Some CEOs defined leadership as having business acumen, like setting a vision or achieving goals for a company. Other people focused on human qualities like empathy, humility or diversity. Every answer was different, but they were each correct. Every leader has their own personal definition of leadership, which influences how they lead and the culture and direction of their company. The definition of leadership can also change as the leaders themselves change. With new leaders come new approaches to leadership, which impacts overall culture and employees.
Who then is a leader? There have been countless people through history that led people but were inhumane and destructive. Does that still make them leaders? In my mind, a leader is someone who does more than just lead people. They have to be driven by the right motivation and make a positive impact on the people around them.

A leader is someone who can see how things can be improved and who rallies people to move toward that better vision. Leaders can work toward making their vision a reality while putting people first. Just being able to motivate people isnt enough leaders need to be empathetic and connect with people to be successful. Leaders dont have to come from the same background or follow the same path. Future leaders will actually be more diverse, which brings a variety of perspectives. Of course, other people could disagree with my definition. The most important thing is that organizations are united internally with their definition of leadership.