One of the influential leadership principles that differentiates it from the variety of so-called ‘leadership models, approaches, and behaviours’, is its clarity of its purpose.
Leadership, as a social construct, arises because it fulfils a human need, a human purpose, which is to improve things – to make our lives better.
One of the reasons there is so much confusion about the purpose of leadership is because there is confusion about the character of leadership itself. After all, if we have no clear idea, or worst still, a multiplicity of undefined ideas, how do we possibly know what the purpose of that thing is?
In Module 2 of Alpha, we look at just 100 of the many hundreds of ‘definitions’ of leadership and leader. They contradict each other, they have no philosophical basis, no set of underlying principles, and no behavioural attribute to light their way. They cannot all be right.
So, what would the purpose of proper leadership be?
Let us ensure we are clear about what ‘purpose’ is.
Purpose (noun).*
- To serve a purpose; to have a use.
- Why you do something or why something exists.
- Determination or a feeling of having a reason for what you do.
As you would have, or will when you complete Alpha, find conversations in Module 2 (Shaping the System), about the purpose of leadership, followed by the construction of the Truman Principle. The former argues why we need ‘purpose’ in leadership (and our lives), while the latter sets up the influential leadership purpose as an unyielding value.
The heart of influential leadership’s purpose is found at the tail-end of the Truman Principle:
… to change things for the better.
No matter who we are or where we find ourselves, or what we call our leadership, if it does not change things for the better, it is not influential leadership, and we are not influential leaders.
If you are a parent, a partner, a scholar, a teacher, a business executive, a government official, a politician, younger or older, of high office or not – and you tackle your leadership moments to change things for the better; you are an influential leader. If not, you are not.
There cannot be any compromise on this principle; it is tied up to the productive outcomes we must produce to be leaders, not in words or name, but in practice.
Influential leadership is leadership with a clear purpose.
Regards,
Colin Donian
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Shaping lives and the future, for the better
* https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/purpose. Accessed on 10 October 2022.
