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Lately I have been drawn to considering the fundamental traits and characteristics of leadership and differentiating leadership and leaders from positions, power, or authority. At some basic level, we all have the need and opportunity to develop and exhibit leadership characteristics at three levels: personal, public, and organizational.

What Are the Characteristics of Leadership?

From my life's work, research, observations, and application, I would suggest that first and foremost, leadership is about the future. It isn't just tomorrow or next month, but next year, the next decade, and beyond. Leadership is about dealing with uncertainty, ambiguity, and possibilities. Leadership is about creating and inspiring. A colleague of mine from Atlanta works with organizational leaders to measure leadership to implement change, and he describes leadership as "aligning, barrier removing, alliance building, and motivating." This colleague differentiates leadership from management, where the activities are "planning, organizing, directing, and controlling."

From a personal perspective, each of us is faced with challenges and opportunities. All of us pause and consider our careers and goals at various stages throughout our lives. We consider where we are today, but more important, we consider where we want to be five or 10 years from now. Personal leadership is creating your own inspiring vision and sharing that with others. Personal management is taking that inspiring vision and developing your action plan, organizing the tasks and controlling your actions to ensure that you execute your plan and achieve your vision.

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