What is Leadership, really?

I have often been thinking of various ways to describe leadership. There is obviously no single way of describing leadership that is more or less correct than any other, but various descriptions shed light on different aspects of leadership. A very technical description of leadership is this:

A set of concentric circles emanating from the individual:

1. Individual Self Development (Psychological, Spiritual, Competencies)
2. Relational Leadership (Coaching, Team Leadership, Human relations)
3. Organizational Leadership (Structure, Culture, Vision, Incentives, Decision Rights, Performance Measurement)
4. Societal Leadership (Multi-sector cooperation, business role in facing global challenges, politics)

This gives you a feeling for the different fields of leadership. However, the individual at the center of the circle remains the core, no matter what leadership we are seeking to describe.

Having observed many leaders, and also having had the experience myself, I have often reflected on the fear that leadership constantly needs to fight against. The future is inherently uncertain, and this causes fear. Leadership is therefore a capacity to point out the direction, where there is no clear direction to see, to show people where there is light, even if only darkness can be found. As long as a leader point towards the light, even though he might not be able to see it himself, the people following him will be able to see that light.

During my MC year I learned about a different way of viewing leadership, and this model has become very important (and dear) to me. It describes leadership as expansion. By this I mean the capacity to expand your circle of awareness, concern and influence beyond yourself. As you expand, there also seems to be a certain diminishing of the center. During extreme situations I have experienced mental states where my own well being is of no concern whatsoever, and only things outside of the center matters. For me, these are the most extreme examples of expansion, where the center disappears and concern for oneself does not exist.

In reverse we can also contract. This is usually associated with feelings of sadness and insecurity. When we feel bad about ourselves,we tend to contract. We care less about what is happening around us and what other people are doing. We focus entirely on ourselves and our ego. I have also experienced this mental state, and it is very destructive, egoistic and self-indulgent. It's not a happy place to be in.