Two primary schools of thought about leaders seem to prevail. One is that leaders are born, not made; that they are anointed from on high, or somehow are genetically programmed to go to the head of the line to lead the rest of us.

The other school of thought says that through instruction and mentoring, leadership skills can be taught, if not to everyone, at least to many people.

The bottom line is that those who find themselves in leadership positions, regardless of whether or not leadership was bestowed on them as a natural birthright or they came upon it as an acquired skill—or simply by accident—must manifest certain leadership skills if they hope to succeed.

And the most essential leadership skill I can think of is the importance of creating healthy environments in which the people a leader is responsible for leading can feel safe, creative, productive, and appreciated.

The fact is that no one exists in a vacuum. We are all acted on by—and react to—the environments in which we live, play, and work. These environments may either be conducive to our living, playing, and working our best—or not.

It follows, therefore, that one of the responsibilities of a good leader is to ensure that the people he or she leads are responding to the best possible environments that the leader can create.

Some Thoughts for Getting There

Put organizational goals in perspective.

Hyper-focusing on organization goals most often results in that old fallback position that the end justifies the means. This leadership model almost always leads to a management structure and corporate culture that erroneously perceives workers as dispensable tools for achieving business objectives instead of the indispensable employees they truly are for helping achieve overall organizational objectives.

Leadership is a contact sport.

Good leaders don't hole themselves up in ivory towers. Neither do they lead by being in front of their people. Good leaders lead by working beside their people, letting them know the valuable role each plays in achieving the company's mission and that "we're all working together as a team to achieve our common goals."

Don't confuse charisma with leadership.

There are many charismatic personalities who have an innate ability to draw people to them but have nowhere to lead them. You can fool people only so long with a pretty face or glib talk. Instead, start by asking: "Where am I capable of taking this organization? How do I propose getting there? Is that place the right destination for this organization? If so, am I creating the kind of workplace environment that will get us there?"

Don't confuse power with leadership.

Just because you can tell people what to do doesn't mean you're leading them. It could mean that they are doing what you tell them to do out of fear of reprisal, which is a push-pull mechanism that may work in the short term but over the long haul inevitably leads to a dispirited, lifeless, and often disgruntled and unproductive workforce.

Thank you is the most undervalued expression in the English language.

Many leaders view kindness as a weakness, even in themselves. They think that thanking others for what they have done is somehow beneath them.

On the contrary, thank you is an essential expression of gratitude when it comes to acknowledging someone for what they've done. It bespeaks respect for the person as well as the value you place on what they've accomplished. A sincere, heart-felt thank you is a small investment that can return huge dividends for those who lead—as well as those who are being led.

As always, I look forward to receiving your feedback, questions, success stories and branding challenges. Also, if you are in need of a motivational speaker, trainer, branding consultant/coach, or management consultant who can help you answer the questions: Who are we? What do we do? How do we do it? And should anyone care? I invite you to for more information.

In the meantime, good luck with your branding! — Larry

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What Does it Take to be a Good Leader? (Excerpted from Aha! Moments in Brand Management)