Yes, this definition seems simple on the surface – but pull it apart and the weight of the concepts becomes evident.

First and foremost, why call Leadership an “act”? Not an act in the sense of attempting to be someone that you are not (quite the opposite), but rather that being a leader requires focus, intention and purpose. Contrary to the myth that ‘true leaders are born, not made’ I believe that leaders are like musicians: there are probably a few who are born prodigies, but the rest of us need good teachers – and practice, practice, practice.

And what about “bringing your best self”? WOW, you say! How do I even know what my best self is, much less how to bring it?!

This is where the real effort resides – developing enough self-awareness and other-awareness to know when you are operating at your best and when you are not, when you are drawing from your center of power vs. fear, from authenticity vs. accommodation, from intention vs. reaction. Learning to read internal and external cues, building a network of trusted advisors, adjusting behavior to fit the situation and the audience – these are just a few of of the steps on the path to good leadership.

Then there’s bringing all this “…to every situation, every interaction, every intention.” Let’s be clear: no one achieves perfection – much less 100% of the time! But when the goal is to be one’s best self as often as possible, the likelihood of success is much greater, and the process of shifting thoughts and behavior to accomplish this goal is more straightforward.

But where does the impact on others fit in?

When we are our best selves we naturally attract the same in others. (Likewise our worst selves also attract the worst in others, but that’s another story for another day.) Remember: Energy is neither created nor destroyed, only transferred.

Realistically, of course, leading others requires more than simply bringing our best selves to the table – but if we do not lead from inside out, we will not succeed in creating sustainable change, only behavior that responds to the external factors in place at the time.

The ‘techniques’ of Leadership – goal-setting, delegation, motivation, feedback, performance management to name a few – are skills that can be learned in many ways. But it’s the inner work that focuses on bringing our best selves forward that distinguishes real leaders from the rest of the pack and creates a solid foundation to bring out the best in others.