President Kennedy rallied the nation around his vision to lead the Russians in his words "to send a man to the moon, and back safely by the end of the decade."

The President inspired a generation with his leadership to think boldly, and as he said in his message to Congress in May of 1961, "and to use our time and our treasure to prioritize long-term goals in an urgent time manner...using our budgetary process to fund these priorities."

It was public sector strategic planning 101. A clear definition of success. Clear actions to make that success a reality. Using budget to fund those actions. This is leadership of the highest order. 

Exhibiting True Leadership

Most Americans would rank this "man to the moon" leadership mindset as one of the highlights of the 20th century. 

Today, much is written about "leadership" and "leaders." With frequency, authors on the topic muse roles, titles, and positions within the organizational structure. The higher the title on the org chart, the more a "leader" they must be. 

In 1962, President Kennedy famously toured the NASA Space Centre in Houston, to inspire those working passionately on his vision. 

During the tour, Kennedy went up to a custodian and asked what he did at NASA. "I'm sending a man to the moon, Mr. President," the custodian explained with pride. That is true leadership.   

Leadership doesn't come from titles. Leadership comes from inspiring others to follow. 

Leadership doesn't involve negotiating a room to "consensus," but rather it demands creating a space for "collaboration" where all voices are heard and invited to a robust debate. Leadership also requires the courage to take a position that the rest of the room might disagree with. 

Taking the Leadership Reins

When making the decision to authorize the invasion of Europe, General Eisenhower gathered all his top commanders at his headquarters in Southwick House. 

History books note the invasion as taking place on June 6. In reality, Eisenhower made the decision with the famous words: "okay, let's go" in the early hours of June 5.  When Eisenhower invited a robust debate, his direct reports were split. Half urged Eisenhower to give the word of approval, while the other half urged him to delay a month due to inclement weather. Eisenhower heard all voices and decided.  

Someone doesn't need to authorize leadership. It comes from ownership. From a willingness to be a succeeder rather than playing it safe. 

Leadership comes from the park worker who, after finishing mowing, takes the extra step to blow grass clippings off the heavily used picnic area. 

Leadership comes from the bus washer who, after making repeated requests for new cleaning supplies but does not receive them, asks for time with the CEO. 

Leadership comes from the team member who rallies her colleagues to conquer unforeseen hurdles rather than abandon the project. 

Leadership doesn't come from titles. Lots of people with fancy titles aren't leaders. 

And lots of people without titles are leaders in every sense of the word.