Sherri
Leadership is a very broad, and 'popular' topic. I think to get the best leverage from this topic, would be to identify segments that might be 'discussed' sequentially, or in parallel, and then synthesized in some fashion. For example:
Leadership...defining and sustaining culture (issues of ethics, people value, learning, recognition, etc.
Leadership at every level....it is about impact, influence, not job title
Identifying and Growing Leadership......
Short term (in it to build and sell and move on)and long term leadership ( legacy builders and keepers)
Hope this is some food for thought.
Rochelle Mucha

I just submitted this question for the Fast Company community - maybe it's better answered here:

With the potential leadership talent shortage looming, what are your best practices in leadership development, talent mangement, and succession planning?

One more thing - I see that Leadership and Management are separated out on this site. I wrote an article on the topic, but am wondering how others differentiate the two...

My own "definition" of Leadership is that ...

"Leadership is the energetic process of getting people fully and willingly committed to a new and sustainable course of action, to meet commonly agreed objectives whilst having commonly held values"

If this is roughly right, then a big difference between Leadership and Management is the need to win everyone's hearts and minds, not just organize things?

I would be particularly interested in a transnational/international concept of leadership. Also, how do you sustain doing the 'right' thing in an environment where the emphasis is increasingly short term ?

Devyani

The question about the definition of leadership is very general.

First..Leadership can be defined from various perspectives, namely:
Define what is the purpose of a leader
Define the characteristics of a leader
What values define a leader.

Second managers (those responsible for management) have to balance their time between managing and leading

Here's a thought is leadership inherently good, evil or neutral. Can leadership be used to both lead people to great things or off a cliff?

While I agree with Cassy that leadership and management ARE different and SHOULD be separated, I disagree about the "potential" labor shortage. I would like to see refinements on how leadership is defined, ie John Gardner's definition vs Warren Bennis vs others (including my own!). I also would like to see discussion on how best to measure leadership, especially at the Director and above levels.

leaders who understand how to attract and retain talent.

I agree with Stacee. The most pressing issue facing leaders today is how to attract, retain and align quality talent. This is a perfect topic for this group, and something I hope/believe I can contribute to.

All the best,
Kyle