Leadership is What?

In some honest dialogue with a friend this question arose?
Is there a difference between influence and manipulation?

Influence: the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others

Manipulation: exerting shrewd or devious actions especially for one's own advantage.

Leadership is influence? or leadership is manipulation?

Some leaders reflect a leadership model that could be like

Magicians - using slight of hand to get results

Magistrates - Working behind closed doors to make things happen

Monks - in a world of their own and feel they must be distanced from the 'rest.'

Are some of the leadership practices you carry out to protect your own job or ego?

Is the deisre for accolades or internal satisfaction, or recognition leave you double clutching on certain decisions that you know are the best for your company, church, or group that you are leading but making those decisions may complicate your own metrics of success?

Are you ready to live in obscurity in your organization to see others succeed?

Does your leadership paradigm sometimes not allow you to be yourself and as a result you live a lie in front of the people you lead? [ie. I can't show weakness or incompentency]

Is your frustration with the status quo leave you thinking that you can do better, you have the answers and your arrogance in your absolute opinion isolates and marginalizes the people you need the most?

Is your frustration with a power structure that marginalizes you more a reflection of your Ego and not an honest desire to pay the personal price to see positive cultural change?

Do you project your own issues as a cultural dysfunction in your workplace? [you hate your current leadership simply because you can't have your way]

Several things to consider...