Giving Compass' Take:

• Governing magazine identifies the difference between leadership and power in the government, and explains that the challenges we face can only be addressed through effective collective action.

• Is leadership a learned skill or something one is born with? What can we learn about developing strong leaders in the nonprofit sector, making sure that we are building equity in the process?

• Read more about why leadership from governments is essential for the Sustainable Development Goals. 

When I hear or read an invocation of the term “leadership” or, even worse, a call for “bold leadership,” I tend to roll my eyes. The words are often used in ways that are so vague as to be virtually meaningless, a kind of wishful, magical thinking. When someone writes that what is needed in a given situation is a list of attributes, the first item on the list is usually bold leadership. Right, that and world peace and an end to poverty.

Most of what is taught and written about leadership focuses on the private sector. I believe that leading in government is far more difficult. Government has to solve problems that industry cannot solve. No one makes a profit trying to fix the opioid crisis or homelessness. Getting things done in government involves managing powerful, often conflicting interests.

So where does government go to get some bold leadership? Many believe that it is some sort of inherent quality that people either do or do not have. I disagree. In my view, leadership is mostly learned. We can find the fundamentals within ourselves. Over time, we can strengthen our ability to lead, just as we can strengthen our muscles. Leadership isn’t mystical. At its core, leadership is enabling a group of people to achieve a goal that none of them could accomplish on their own.

Read the full article about power and leadership by Mark Funkhouser at Governing magazine.