Leadership is...

"Leadership is about bringing out and mobilizing the best in the people around you. It’s about helping a group of people work together towards a shared goal or set of goals. When leadership works, it creates leaders, not followers."

What do leaders do?

• Leaders listen.
• Leaders empower those around them.
• Leaders recognize others’ strengths.
• Leaders are trustworthy.
• Leaders are confident.
• Leaders make decisions.
• Leaders recognize the value in other perspectives.
• Leaders commit to action.
• Leaders demand commitment from others.
• Leaders share ownership. As I said, leadership is about making those around us into leaders; ultimately leaders get out of the way. The best person for the job of creating change may not be the best person for the job of maintaining the new order (consider what usually happens when military leaders install themselves as political leaders after overthrowing a corrupt regime). Good leadership lies in creating in others the sense that the goals they are working towards are their own — as are the rewards. By giving up control and sharing ownership of their goals and passions, good leaders help to insure that the changes they envision — whether it is a successful product launch or a radical social transformation — will endure beyond their own active participation.

Read the rest, along with each of these points' explanation here

Leader