The eight topics covered in The Rules of Leadership series are:

1. About the Rules of Leadership and the need for them
2. Four questions about Leadership that need to be answered
3. What is Leadership?
4. How do you cause Leadership?
5. What is the standard for Leadership?
6. How do you measure Leadership?
7. The future of Leadership
8. How do you make the Rules of Leadership work in your organization?

About the Rules of Leadership and the need for them

We have always believed in the need for a set of governing rules to guide an organization in its leadership initiatives. The subject of Leadership, what it is, and how organizations address the subject, has always been a subjective mystery. Organizations constantly struggle with the "who" and "how" of Leadership.

There seem to be three reasons why a set of Leadership Rules is important:

1. The conceptual nature of Leadership: Since leadership is a concept, it falls into the same category as love and beauty and quality. All of these concepts are very subjective. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a popular phrase designed to excuse how difficult, if not impossible, it is to describe and define a concept like beauty. Quality and Love have the same dilemma. How many poets and songwriters have tried to explain love to us? It's hard to know if any of them have been successful for anyone but themselves. As for Quality, well, "we know it when we see it" is a popular way to explain away the vaguaerities of that concept. Concepts are so difficult to characterize that careers can be made of trying to explain them.
   
   When it comes to leadership, organizations cannot be vague or misunderstood. Organizations, and particularly business organizations, need to be clear in their direction and communication. They cannot leave such critical issues such as Leadership to chance or interpretation. Organizations that are not clear about Leadership leave themselves open to confusion and misdirection.
   
   
2. Leadership at all levels: For the history of mankind, Leadership has been thought of as the tall, the educated, the strong and, of course, the men. All of that changed in the last 20 years or so. The information age, greater equality among many groups and the advent of the participative management style all have made it necessary to have "Leadership at all levels". No longer does leadership simply come from the top down. In fact, the traditional organization pyramid has been inverted. Decisions, information, knowledge and leadership flow as much up the organization as down.
   
   This dramatic change requires a set of standards, guidelines or rules to ensure consistency of Leadership understanding throughout the organization. The "rules" must be consistent, unambiguous, and agreed to by all levels of the organization. That is generally a tall order for most organizations.
   
   
3. Leadership legs: Too often initiatives in organizations become more fad than practice. This is especially true when it comes to initiatives based on concepts. Leadership is not a fad or a passing fancy. A Leadership initiative must have "legs" both horizontally and vertically.
   
   What we mean by "vertical legs' is that organizations need leadership understanding that endures over time. It must become part of the fabric of the organization's standard operating methodology. This is more than "memorizing" or routine. None of these concepts work unless they are proven out with success. By "horizontal legs" we mean that Leadership rules must stand up under all situations. Most organizations have some sense of their Leadership "style" or concepts. These are usually developed during times of "peace" or change. When things are going well, there is time and resources to ponder concepts that might make the organization better. When there is major change, like a new CEO, it seems right to establish the Leadership style or rules. Many times organizations have established their Leadership environment during times of "peace' and change them dramatically when things get difficult. To be successful over the long term, the Rules of Leadership must be consistent and be able to serve the organization at all times. Just because things get tough is no reason to change the basic leadership guidelines that have allowed the organization to become successful in the first place.

   So, the Rules of Leadership should provide 1) clarification about the conceptual nature of leadership, 2) a set of standards that can be used at all levels of the organization and 3) consistency that will serve the organization in all situations. We hope to establish a core set on rules that meet this test over the next several months.

   We invite comment and contribution to this series. In researching the Rules of Leadership, we have encountered 143 various rules and guidelines at organizations. We know there is a great body of thought about the subject. Please contact us via E-mail and share your comments.

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