In many movies, there is a scene that rarely plays out in real life: an individual spontaneously stands up before a group of people and delivers an impromptu rallying speech that inspires the crowd to significant, purposeful action. Whether they are going out and winning the competition or burning down the evil scientist's laboratory, their decisions are inspired by an individual voice. This kind of thing may happen in reality in more subtle ways, whether for good or ill, but this kind of influence seems short-lived. It isn't true "leadership."

Even the word leadership may conjure mental images of a person who is at the front of a group of people. The leader marches purposefully forward, and the rest of the parade follows. The leader holds the torch high and people flock to the light. Or even, the leader unveils the blueprint and a throng of people dash off to do their part. These images are caricatures of what we often expect of ourselves and others.

In a community of any kind, many people have different ideas about the way things should be. At the very least there are likely to be different opinions about the best way to accomplish a specific vision. In some communities, everyone tries to take the lead and pursue their own way of doing things, and the ensuing chaos doesn't lead anywhere close to their stated purpose. In other organizations, no one wants the mantle of leadership because it is viewed as carrying the burden of responsibility for doing everything successfully. That model isn't any more effective.

Collective partnerships can certainly lead a community in the direction of their vision, and in a connected and purposeful community, leadership may even shift fluidly among different individuals at different times. But an individual willing to take a stand is often what most effectively propels an organization into the next step. Although there are varying styles of leadership, a leader is first and foremost a vision-holder.

A leader can help a community discover its true vision. A leader can even guide a community in how to step into that vision. But a leader can only take a community where it is willing to go. Otherwise, the community will choose a different leader, by one means or another. One could try to be a chameleon, but when a community's vision is different enough from its leader's, this often winds up being a short-lived solution. In fact, true leadership may involve having the integrity of personal vision to trust that communities which share a similar purpose will emerge in partnership.

It might be that a leader is the one who breaks from the crowd and heads off in a new direction with purpose, creating a path rather than traversing one that can be clearly seen. And it may even be unimportant on a certain level who follows or where they come from, because ultimately leadership is about a path of personal meaning.

Some people in leadership are good at waiting. They wait for the right opportunities, the right environment, the right number of supporters, or even the right quality of support. They hold back engaging 100% of their capability in the world, because they want to make sure that others are with them. In fact, they spend time and energy trying to figure out how to convince others about the value of what they want to do, when they could just be doing it. The waiting and holding back certainly doesn't move them forward. And as valuable as it is to have other people's support, the primary motivation has to emerge from within one's own being.

So perhaps leadership truly looks like forging your own trail and trusting that the people who see value in what you are doing will be there with you. Certainly, it is important to engage others about what you are creating, and to connect with them about their vision as well. But doing it is more compelling than talking about it. If you are committed to carrying out the personal journey that is most satisfying to you, you already have all that you need to show others where you are headed.