"Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders" by Rajeev Peshawaria

"The boss assigns the task; the leader sets the pace. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss knows how its done; the leader shows how. The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes it a game. The boss says, "Go"; the leader says "Let's go!"

This is a poem by Albert Edward Wiggam. Too many times I have seen a person's success defined by their position, material awards, and others congratulations. Often the real success is not seen. Often the leader who actually brought the team together is not fully recognized or given the glory that they wanted from the start, because that is not what being the leader is. That is being the boss.

I picked up a book at the library the other day called "Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders" by Rajeev Peshawaria. Although most of the book is directly linked to the business world, there are many leadership lessons that can be applied throughout one's life. It focuses on the "three essential principles you need to become and extraordinary leader". It seems a bit cliche, but it pretty much outlines the basics of successful leadership, and since leadership can't be taught, it makes sense. Here are the three principles in an excerpt from the book:

 "So how did Gandhi, and how do other great leaders, accomplish so much? With all the investment in leadership development, what is the elusive key to effective leadership? In my view, it is that superior leadership requires incredible amounts of emotional energy- the power to stay the course despite the most formidable of obstacles. Emphasis is most often placed heavily on cerebral skills at the expense of appreciating this crucial source of leadership success. Again, leadership is not about competency models, personality traits, or formulas- it is about having the lasting energy to stay true to your vision for positive change even in the face of the most powerful resistance. Leaders who achieve exceptional results despite the toughest challenges are able to do so because they know how to:

1. Identify sources of unlimited emotional energy to fuel THEMSELVES.
2. Enlist a few co-leaders and align their energy toward a shared purpose.
3. Galvanize the energy of large numbers of people to create sustainable collective success."

 Do not let positions define you or others as leaders. Gandhi was never given an official position of leadership; however, he managed to gain thousands of followers. I encourage you to skim the book, it has some great ideas.

 Peshawaria, Rajeev. Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders: The Three Essential Principles You Need to Become an Extraordinary Leader. New York: Free, 2011. Print.