Leadership is about the ability to influence, to have an impact, the ability to master change. It's about creating the right environment for people to make a contribution. It is about enablement and empowerment. And of course because that's what leadership is it comes in all kinds of packages. It's about setting the frame and then setting people free to contribute in their own way and then fulfill their potential.
Leadership is also about responsibility.
It's about taking action and accepting the consequences. It's about having the courage to pursue bold ideas and the conviction to see them through. Which brings me to the guideposts that I've used when facing a tough decision or a career choice. Always have a clear-eyed vision of the goal, followed by an absolute realism and objectivity about what it will really take to achieve the goal, to lead, and to win. Understand that the only limits that really matter are those that you put on yourself, or that a business puts on itself.