Leadership is very hard to define, perhaps impossible. If a narcissistic, liar can be a president, or a xenophobic man can start a world war, what are the absolute traits of leadership? Some will say it’s authenticity, but you can be authentic and not be a leader. Maybe leadership is a combination of things. Who knows?

The definition I use for leadership is, creating and pursuing a vision of the future for you and others.

I’ve been a student of leadership from my early days. From being the captain of my basketball team to being a college coach to managing the development team at Lift Interactive, I’ve been obsessing over this topic for a long time.

Here are a few of my beliefs about leadership. Please note, these are not complete or absolute. Leadership is more art than science.

Belief #1: Put others first.

Belief #2: Leadership and love are limitless. There can never be too much of either of these. This goes for teams, families, and organizations.

Belief #3: There must be a vision of the future and it must include the folks you are leading.

My leadership behaviours

Behaviour #1: Do the hard things.

Behaviour #2: Put people first by practicing empathy.

Behaviour #3: Always improve. It’s not about the destination, but rather it’s about the journey.