Leadership is often discussed as though it belongs to the individual: my vision, my strategy, my performance.
But leadership only becomes real in relationship.
A team can have a brilliant strategy and still fail because trust is weak.
A leader can be intelligent and still create confusion because people do not feel heard.
The space between people matters.
Leadership is experienced through communication, trust, cooperation, boundaries, listening and the ability to bring people along rather than simply moving ahead.
This also means leadership is not about becoming powerful enough to do everything yourself.
A conscious leader creates conditions in which other people can contribute their own power.
Sometimes that means stepping forward.
Sometimes it means stepping back.
There is a difference between caring and carrying.
There is a difference between harmony and avoiding necessary conflict.
There is a difference between being available and becoming indispensable.
The people around a leader should not have to become smaller for the leader to feel powerful.
Leadership is what happens to people while you are getting somewhere.
Reflection
What is the experience of being around you as a leader — and what would you like that experience to become?