by Ian Williams

25 pages

There’s a lot of talk about leadership, and a lot at stake, but what is it?  The root of the word comes from an ancient Anglo-Saxon verb leaden, which means to go or to travel. So in essence leadership is always about a journey. Destinations may change, but the journey is always in progress. In ancient times this was about finding a route or path over land, or steering a course at sea, but essentially it’s about finding our way and making discovery. That definition is still true. Great leaders provide a purpose or objective, bring people on board, plot a course and head for the destination. For ancient travellers there may not even have been a map, just a vague notion, but the leader always headed off in a direction. What discoveries have been made, and what fortunes met out of belief in the unseen, of faith in leadership.  They shaped our past, shape our present, and the visionary leader shapes the future.

When the going gets tough, and belief in the mission is waning, the leader has to keep belief, persevere, and make adjustments. The challenge is keeping others engaged and patient in the process. People choose to lead, and people choose to follow. Either way, they have to take responsibility for the choice and be encouraged to see it through.

Ian Williams' passion for leadership comes from getting involved, experimenting, taking risks, learning, and practising tenacity. I see leadership as first and foremost self-leadership, the best example there can be. Individual leadership is expressed in leading others (strategically and functionally), and finally in leading culture – whether that’s in a family, a sports team or an organisation.

This book gives an overview of some of what Ian observes as the essentials of leadership. He haa selected 20 key aspects and qualities of leadership to provoke thought and stimulate personal development. They are not ranked – they are all first priority.