Leadership is not easy to define, but as Thurgood Marshall said, “I know it when I see it.” We many not easily describe what makes a good leader, but we will readily follow one. Some think that people are born to be leaders. Research shows that this is absolutely untrue. Leadership is a learned skill, accessible to anyone who is willing to pay the price.

Pat Williams said that anyone who reads the right five books can become an expert in any field. Of course practice doesn’t hurt, either. And I don’t think that the 10,000 hour rule applies to leadership, or we would all be in trouble.

I have been a leader for much of my life. I have attended training sessions since I was 14 years old. I have served as a leader in Scouting, in my Church, and in my professional life. I have also studied the lives of many leaders. In many situations, I have also been a leader without a title. I’m not sure that this qualifies me as an expert, but I have learned many things are worth sharing.

I don’t think I will break any new ground with my posts: my intent is to share my own insights on elements of leadership and personal relations. I hope that these will teach or reinforce some basic principles that are important in leading others. My contention is that anyone can learn to lead. Leadership is for ordinary people, like me. And as we learn to lead better, we can also follow better.

These entries will not be great dissertations or scholarly efforts. Nor are they business articles. But I hope that they will be useful and even influential in some way. I make no promises as to the frequency of my posts. I lead a busy life, just like you. But I will try to post regularly

For the most part, my posts will be short, easily digestible essays. I will combine my own experiences with generally accepted principles and some commentary. You can also expect an infusion of my dry wit, along with some occasional vague musical references. I hope that you, my reader, will find something of value. There should be a nugget of practical wisdom or advice in each post, and sometimes a call to action.

I welcome your questions, comments and suggestions as this develops. Keep your comments clean and friendly. I reserve the right to delete any comments that I deem inappropriate.