I get to spend a lot of time with leaders. As a coach of leaders, I watch how they interact with people on a variety of levels. Most leaders now recognize how important relationships are to organizational and community success. Yet, I think it goes farther than that.

What if leading is not something "a" person does, but rather is the result of a certain type of relational dynamic between people? Sure, one of those person’s may be deemed "the leader," but leading is not what he or she does, but what happens in between the "leader" and the "followers." In other words, leading is the result of the common pursuit of what matters to a group–where that group lends it’s energy to each other and to the project in powerful ways. The leader may play a unique role in releasing that group potential, but it happens not because of his or her position, but because of a dance that occurs in the group.

What if leading isn’t something a person does, but rather what happens when people pursue common goals together–each offering his or her best?

hmmmm….