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EDITOR’S NOTE
O captain! My captain!
W
hen I think of the best leadership, I am moved and humbled.
Great leaders inspire and create meaningful, lasting opportunities
and new ways of thinking. They believe in change. They have an
impact on the future.
Like many roles in life and business, being a true leader
is a calling. Either you’re a great one, or you’re not. Think
of those who have changed the expected, like Picasso, Plato,
Thelma and Louise, Socrates and Tom Brady.
Those are the ones who blaze new trails without fear,
without worry and without a second thought to what other
people think. They have a singular vision and a singular
course. They dare to challenge ideas with a nimble flick of
the throttle, changing directions as easily as batting an eye.
They see things others do not. They take risks. They are
entrepreneurs. Just like you. And if you doubt that fact, sit
back and have a read.
Leadership is your contribution and your service to
your company. It’s your survival, and that of those you lead.
It will be your legacy, and your company’s legacy. It is what
makes you great vs. what lets you fail or, worse, be average.
Ask anyone in the armed forces—especially those operating
in the battlefield—about leadership, and the answer will
be telling. It’s usually along the lines of: “I am leading you to
keep you alive. I lead for you, and I lead to make you better.”
The point is: Leadership is never about you—it’s about them.
And how you lead says a lot about your company and a lot about
you. And if you’re not good at it … damn, that’s bad.
Those who are true leaders will lead their teams to victory
and inspire them to be great. I’ve worked with that type, and
I’ve worked with leaders who are managers and mostly check
timecards. The difference is epic. Leadership is not about
bossing or being in control. Nope. It is that belief that you and
your team are destined for something special. It is your ability
to inspire excellence in others.
Any organization, company, product, magazine or brand will
always, always, every single time, take on the essence of its
leader. If you lead with courage, clarity and fearlessness, then
that’s what your brand will stand for. The same goes if you are a
careless, hopeless, entitled brat.
I’ve succeeded and I’ve failed as a leader. And the lesson is
this: When you lead with purpose and vision, you will succeed.
When you lead out of fear, you will fail.
In this issue, we dive into the specifics of leadership today. In
addition to examining the generational issues arising as Millennials
take over the work force, we look at a rarely discussed
personality type—the ambivert—whose flexibility, balance and
collaborative tendencies may make for a superior leader.
So guide well, my friends, because that is your job. It is what
separates you from your competitor. At the end of the day, it
will determine your fate and that of your company; it will inspire
you to fight or it will condemn you to failure. Simply put:
Leading is the most important responsibility you will ever have
as an entrepreneur.
Amy C. Cosper
Editor in Chief
Follow me on Twitter:
@AmyCCosper
Email me at:
acosper@entrepreneur.com
PHOTO © JULIA VANDENOEVER
14 ENTREPRENEUR MARCH 2015