I think most people feel they are pretty good communicators. I think most people consider themselves average or better in the leadership area. Let's assume for the sake of argument that both of these assumptions are accurate, that is, most people are pretty good communicators and average or better leaders.

If this is true, what can we deduce from the obvious evidence of our society?

• That there are relatively few divorces
• That most businesses thrive and grow
• That most investments succeed
• That we have efficient governmental structures/policies/procedures
• That integrity (a key part of leadership) is the cornerstone of all relationships - personal and business

What, you say there seems to be a disconnect? That these items in the list above are not true? Could it be that the premise upon which they were built has problems?

Solution: Quit thinking how wonderful you are and start learning how to do the right things - remember all of life can be reduced to relationships.

I have become convinced that leaders should take up the game of golf no matter how frustrating!! There is so much to be learned by chasing that little white ball:

• Pride in a stroke well hit
• Humility in a stroke no so well hit
• Focus - keeping your eye on the ball
• Focus - keeping your head down
• Focus - holding your club just right
• Focus - Holding your body just right
• Focus - swinging the club just right

Are you getting the sense that golf is an exercise in focus? I hope so. Of course, for me, humility is right up there as well. Leader's need ongoing reminders of the basics and focus is a biggie.

I am currently teaching a class on Contemporary Leadership as part of the curriculum for the EXCEL Adult Degree Program at Huntington University. The foundation upon which the course was written was Jim Collins' book Good to Great. I have written about this book in earlier posts so I won't go back into it, except to say this is a must read for anyone serious about leadership education.

I am finding, however, that taken alone, the principles from this book may be a little ahead of those who are being exposed to leadership for the first time. I can see in the students' eyes the interest in the material as well as some confusion as to how to wrap their minds around the material. So, I have had to augment the course with some more basic concepts which provide greater context for understanding the book. For example in the discussion of level 5 leaders, I spent quite some time working with Maxwell's levels of leadership and the section on credibility from The Leadership Challenge.

I don't think this is a comment on the students, but perhaps a thought that, while we all say "Leadership is in short supply," we might not know exactly what leadership really looks like when we see. It is easy to get taken in by those who fit the caricature rather than the individual who simply and quietly influences movement toward a goal.