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Owain Smolovic Jones
Moderator
Post 1

20 October 2016, 4:24 PM Edited by Matthew Driver on 21 October 2016, 9:15 AM

Week 1, Activity 3 Definitions of leadership

This week we provided our definition of leadership as: ‘Leadership is a collaborative, political and participative practice that provides direction, energy and critical engagement on issues that are made to matter.’

Is our definition of leadership something you can sign up to or do you see some problems with our definition? If you think we have undersold a particular dimension of leadership or over-stated something, join in with the discussion and propose your own definition.


Kate Martin Post 2 (summarised) in reply to 1

31 October 2016, 12:39 PM
I find the suggested definition very effective as a succinct description of...
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Owain Smolovic Jones Post 13 (summarised) in reply to 2

10 November 2016, 10:48 AM
Hi Kate - thanks for engaging with the course and I like your definition. Owain
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Marta Bruschi Post 41 (summarised) in reply to 2

4 March 2017, 12:11 PM
I agree with you Kate, regarding the use of "political" in the definition, I...
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Hayley O'Gara Post 106 (summarised) in reply to 41

17 July 2019, 10:13 AM
This also made me reflect but I agree with this term that as a leader, you...
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Sandy Campbell Post 117 (summarised) in reply to 106

17 January 2020, 2:31 AM
I agree. I find the term political interesting in the way it is used within...
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Emma Corcoran Post 67 (summarised) in reply to 2

9 October 2017, 2:47 PM
I completely agree with this; I think we should be trying to get people to...
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Rose Thompson Post 101 (summarised) in reply to 2

14 June 2019, 12:01 PM Edited by the author on 14 June 2019, 12:03 PM
I think this is an interesting comment - I do agree that the word political...
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Megan Parnell-Murphy Post 109 (summarised) in reply to 101

29 September 2019, 9:57 PM
I completely agree with your thoughts on the above Rose and have been round...
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Julie Cooper Post 107 (summarised) in reply to 2

25 September 2019, 4:58 PM

Week 1 Activity 3

 Political practices is not a term that I have heard used...
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Fidele Mutwarasibo Post 108 (summarised) in reply to 107

26 September 2019, 11:12 AM
Interesting comment by Julie Cooper on the negative connotations associated...
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Charles Moores Post 3 (summarised) in reply to 1

1 November 2016, 3:25 AM Edited by the author on 1 November 2016, 3:35 AM
I find your definition of Leadership interesting and not quite what I was...
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Claire Cochrane Post 8 (summarised) in reply to 3

7 November 2016, 7:53 PM
I think it is interesting that leadership is automatically aligned with the...
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Kate Martin Post 22 (summarised) in reply to 8

20 November 2016, 9:56 AM
Absolutely Claire - similarly in my organisation the Board can feel quite...
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Darren Smith Post 74 (summarised) in reply to 8

14 January 2018, 6:07 PM
Great innovations often arise from individuals that do not have a leadership...
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Sandy Campbell Post 118 (summarised) in reply to 74

17 January 2020, 2:33 AM
I agree completely with this statement. I think good leadership is indeed...
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Victoria Richardson Post 75 (summarised) in reply to 8

20 February 2018, 2:32 PM
My experience is similar to that of Clare's and the leadership is something...
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Nick Kavanagh Post 33 (summarised) in reply to 3

31 December 2016, 7:53 AM
"Those in leadership roles" - is quite thought provoking. I am involved with...
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Marta Bruschi Post 56 (summarised) in reply to 33

22 April 2017, 6:59 PM
Its a good point, Nick, I would say the same here..at the end we aim to...
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Sarah Pettifor Post 87 (summarised) in reply to 33

9 May 2018, 4:42 PM
I think this is a really interesting point. Where I work there are more...
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Hayley Bennett Post 45 (summarised) in reply to 3

21 March 2017, 12:09 PM
I am most aligned with your thoughts, Charles. Particularly the mention of...
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Kate Honeyford Post 52 (summarised) in reply to 3

7 April 2017, 11:10 AM
I understand your points about trustees and the chair of trustees in...
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Gail Pussard Post 4 (summarised) in reply to 1

1 November 2016, 12:18 PM
I like most of the definition but feel that there needs to be...
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Owain Smolovic Jones Post 14 (summarised) in reply to 4

10 November 2016, 10:50 AM
Hi Gail - yes I like your point about self-confidence. A tough balance for...
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Ben Smith Post 24 (summarised) in reply to 4

3 December 2016, 2:05 PM
I think this raises a very valid point. There is no one style of leadership...
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Ruth Leonard Post 31 (summarised) in reply to 24

12 December 2016, 5:13 PM
this thread about self-confidence is interesting - I do feel that we probably...
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Sally Reith Post 37 (summarised) in reply to 31

26 January 2017, 3:01 PM
I think the point made here about relationship building is vital in...
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Kirsty Conger Post 49 (summarised) in reply to 4

30 March 2017, 1:24 PM
Its an interesting definition for thinking about and understanding leadership...
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Kate Honeyford Post 51 (summarised) in reply to 49

7 April 2017, 11:06 AM Edited by the author on 7 April 2017, 11:09 AM
I recognise and agree with the definition of leadership as political maybe...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 55 (summarised) in reply to 51

18 April 2017, 6:05 PM
Hi Kate You make an interesting point about the ways in which there are...
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Patricia Cowdrey Post 63 (summarised) in reply to 51

29 August 2017, 12:16 PM
This seems to be a common theme, where an organisation has grown beyond...
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Darren Smith Post 73 (summarised) in reply to 63

14 January 2018, 5:08 PM
Hi Patricia- Do you think that when a voluntary organisation grows from small...
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Nia Crouch Post 60 (summarised) in reply to 4

19 May 2017, 3:59 PM
Self-confidence is an interesting point to bring. I have seen groups trying...
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Emma Corcoran Post 68 (summarised) in reply to 4

9 October 2017, 2:55 PM
I think this is a very interesting perspective, and strongly agree that...
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ruth bigger Post 5 (summarised) in reply to 1

7 November 2016, 9:28 AM
I like your definition although it challenges my understanding that...
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Claire Cochrane Post 7 (summarised) in reply to 5

7 November 2016, 7:36 PM
I agree - I am struggling to remove the 'Role of Leader' and view leadership...
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Emily Charkham Post 10 (summarised) in reply to 7

7 November 2016, 10:38 PM
Ultimately any decision would unavoidably come down to one individual's...
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Owain Smolovic Jones Post 15 (summarised) in reply to 7

10 November 2016, 10:52 AM
Bear with us. We're not so much saying that leaders are redundant but asking...
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Kate Honeyford Post 54 (summarised) in reply to 7

7 April 2017, 11:42 AM
Hi Claire, we have that dilemma too. To me at first it felt counterintuitive...
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Jessica Meale Post 79 (summarised) in reply to 54

6 April 2018, 11:35 AM
On another side of this, my organisation has a very special event coming up...
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Nia Crouch Post 59 (summarised) in reply to 5

19 May 2017, 3:53 PM
I agree Ruth, I always visualised leadership as one or a few key figures at...
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Claire Cochrane Post 6 (summarised) in reply to 1

7 November 2016, 7:34 PM
With your definition of leadership I struggle with whom to attach the...
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Emily Charkham Post 9 (summarised) in reply to 1

7 November 2016, 10:32 PM
While I could subscribe to the presented definition of leadership I found the...
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Andrew Bullock Post 12 (summarised) in reply to 9

8 November 2016, 12:40 PM
I agree. A leader has to inspire others so that when they want to bring about...
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Owain Smolovic Jones Post 18 (summarised) in reply to 9

10 November 2016, 10:59 AM
Hi Emily Thanks for participating and you raise some interesting points....
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Ben Smith Post 23 (summarised) in reply to 18

3 December 2016, 1:56 PM
My feelings on this are that it is up to a leader to implement the eight...
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Nick Kavanagh Post 34 (summarised) in reply to 9

31 December 2016, 8:00 AM
I agree with the point about "followers" [and sometimes it is important to be...
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Sally Reith Post 39 (summarised) in reply to 34

26 January 2017, 3:14 PM
I agree with your point about 'good follower' and wonder what this would look...
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Andrew Bullock Post 11 (summarised) in reply to 1

8 November 2016, 12:31 PM
I definitely feel that your definition of leadership is something that I...
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Owain Smolovic Jones Post 16 (summarised) in reply to 11

10 November 2016, 10:56 AM
Hi Andrew Thanks for participating and I like your point. Sure, I don't want...
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Rose Thompson Post 102 (summarised) in reply to 16

14 June 2019, 12:19 PM
Hi Owain I agree with this - our organisation has a very collaborative ethos...
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Ruth Leonard Post 30 (summarised) in reply to 11

12 December 2016, 5:07 PM
I agree that leaders need to inspirational; but I would be worried about...
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Caleb Rowan Post 17 (summarised) in reply to 1

10 November 2016, 10:58 AM

Emotion first, spatial metaphor

 I think that leadership is something we...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 20 (summarised) in reply to 17

16 November 2016, 9:04 AM
Hi Caleb Thanks for your input. You make a really interesting point about our...
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Claire Cochrane Post 21 (summarised) in reply to 20

16 November 2016, 8:36 PM
I definitely think a leader has to come from all angles. A leader at the top...
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Nick Kavanagh Post 35 (summarised) in reply to 21

31 December 2016, 8:04 AM
Completely with Carol and Claire on this - there can be a natural tendency to...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 36 (summarised) in reply to 35

9 January 2017, 7:26 PM
Really intriguing spatial metaphors emerging in this discussion and in other...
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Genevieve Rudd Post 19 (summarised) in reply to 1

14 November 2016, 11:46 AM
Overall I agree with the definition of leadership, however I feel that in...
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Keith Arrowsmith Post 25 (summarised) in reply to 1

4 December 2016, 8:26 AM
Especially for those in a charity structure, leadership is often linked to...
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Keith Arrowsmith Post 26 (summarised) in reply to 1

4 December 2016, 10:10 AM
As well as my thoughts on how your definition could apply equally to...
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Stacey Pottinger Post 27 (summarised) in reply to 1

4 December 2016, 3:47 PM

Definitions of Leadership

 Hi Everyone, Apologies for joining in late! I have...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 28 (summarised) in reply to 27

12 December 2016, 2:38 PM
Hi Stacey Thanks for joining the conversation. You make an interesting point...
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Ruth Leonard Post 29 (summarised) in reply to 1

12 December 2016, 5:04 PM
I like your definition - and the idea about the practice being around an...
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Nick Kavanagh Post 32 (summarised) in reply to 1

31 December 2016, 7:46 AM
It is thought provoking because it isn't necessarily the traditional way of...
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Sally Reith Post 38 (summarised) in reply to 1

26 January 2017, 3:10 PM
Leadership is a collaborative, political and participative practice that...
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Marta Bruschi Post 40 (summarised) in reply to 1

4 March 2017, 12:07 PM
I agree with your definition of leadership as collaborative and...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 43 (summarised) in reply to 40

5 March 2017, 6:16 PM
Hi Marta Thanks for highlighting the significance of emotion in the practice...
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Marta Bruschi Post 47 (summarised) in reply to 43

25 March 2017, 12:06 PM
I value a lot empathy and I think that trying to understand other persons in...
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Lorraine Slee Post 42 (summarised) in reply to 1

4 March 2017, 3:53 PM
First let me summarise what I take away from your discussion: Leadership...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 44 (summarised) in reply to 42

5 March 2017, 6:19 PM
Hi Lorraine We certainly aren't suggesting that funding challenges don't...
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Diana Hofler Post 46 (summarised) in reply to 42

24 March 2017, 12:52 PM
Hi, So maybe it's just me/my personal political slant, but I really...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 48 (summarised) in reply to 46

27 March 2017, 10:35 AM
Hi Diana I find your key idea here really interesting. If I've understood...
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Kate Honeyford Post 53 (summarised) in reply to 48

7 April 2017, 11:37 AM
Carol, that absolutely fits with what has been happening in my organisation....
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Kirsty Conger Post 50 (summarised) in reply to 46

30 March 2017, 1:40 PM
I agree leadership as making things matter is really interesting and is...
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Harry Moriarty Post 66 (summarised) in reply to 42

12 September 2017, 9:11 PM
Your final comment made me laugh because I have worked places where the...
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Neha Agarwal Post 57 (summarised) in reply to 1

8 May 2017, 12:50 PM
I like the thought of defining Leadership as a process, and not restricting...
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Rhiannon Hardiman Post 100 (summarised) in reply to 57

24 April 2019, 2:17 PM
The debate about leadership being 'political' has come up several times in...
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Nia Crouch Post 58 (summarised) in reply to 1

19 May 2017, 3:47 PM
There are aspects of this definition that I find refreshing, such as the...
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Harry Moriarty Post 65 (summarised) in reply to 58

12 September 2017, 9:06 PM
I agree on the people with Leadership skills sometimes lacking the social...
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Sharon Wright Post 61 (summarised) in reply to 1

15 July 2017, 2:26 PM
On the whole I agree with the definition. Leadership needs to be...
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Vicky Shepherd Post 62 (summarised) in reply to 1

16 August 2017, 10:52 AM
Overall I like the definition but think the use of the word practice loses...
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Harry Moriarty Post 64 (summarised) in reply to 1

12 September 2017, 9:02 PM
I don't like that people want one name to follow but in old-fashioned...
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John Meikleham Post 98 (summarised) in reply to 64

8 January 2019, 4:52 PM
Good point Harry but I wonder if your argument is a little weakened by the...
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Emma Corcoran Post 69 (summarised) in reply to 1

9 October 2017, 3:04 PM
I find the above definition very useful; succinctly and clearly defining the...
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James Keyworth Post 70 (summarised) in reply to 1

16 October 2017, 4:50 PM
I think the definition of leadership provided is as good a definition as any....
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Anthony Colson Post 72 (summarised) in reply to 70

8 January 2018, 7:30 PM
Hi James I agree with your thought that good leadership is about being...
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Anthony Colson Post 71 (summarised) in reply to 1

6 January 2018, 9:38 PM
I find the definition offered to be quite different to the contemporary view...
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Victoria Richardson Post 76 (summarised) in reply to 1

20 February 2018, 2:39 PM
Having read some of the other replies I find that my response differs a...
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Jill Anderson Post 115 (summarised) in reply to 76

14 December 2019, 8:46 PM
Thank you for posting this. I struggled too, at first, with that phrase. Then...
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Katie Burns Post 77 (summarised) in reply to 1

6 April 2018, 9:51 AM
I like the sentiment and vision around leadership being this collaborative...
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Jessica Meale Post 78 (summarised) in reply to 1

6 April 2018, 11:23 AM
I think this definition certainly provides the basis for what leadership...
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Julie Dawes Post 84 (summarised) in reply to 78

24 April 2018, 7:46 PM
I would agree with your point about flexibility, leadership should always be...
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David Allen Post 80 (summarised) in reply to 1

21 April 2018, 9:46 PM
I like how participative, critical practice is emphasised. This actually has...
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Fidele Mutwarasibo Post 81 (summarised) in reply to 1

23 April 2018, 11:04 PM
The definition is comprehensive and defies the conventional definitions of...
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Julie Dawes Post 82 (summarised) in reply to 81

24 April 2018, 7:17 PM

Week 1 Activity 3

 Your definition seems very balanced and agree with the...
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Fidele Mutwarasibo Post 85 (summarised) in reply to 82

4 May 2018, 5:57 PM
Thanks Julie. Sustainability, along with passion for social justice, vision,...
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Julie Dawes Post 83 (summarised) in reply to 1

24 April 2018, 7:45 PM

Week 1 Activity 3

 On the whole the definition of leadership as,...
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Fidele Mutwarasibo Post 86 (summarised) in reply to 83

4 May 2018, 5:59 PM
Thanks for answering the question Julie. I somewhat responded without...
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Amanda Soraghan Post 89 (summarised) in reply to 83

15 August 2018, 9:29 AM
Love your definition Julie though I would advocate for the inclusion of...
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Megan Parnell-Murphy Post 112 (summarised) in reply to 83

29 September 2019, 10:11 PM
I absolutely love your definition of leadership Julie - it's really...
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Amanda Soraghan Post 88 (summarised) in reply to 1

15 August 2018, 9:27 AM
While I agree with this in the main I would add in collective and focus....
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Greg Stenson Post 90 (summarised) in reply to 1

10 September 2018, 1:49 PM
Hi Owen, Your definition of leadership is very thoughtful, and includes...
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sam Booth Post 92 (summarised) in reply to 90

15 September 2018, 3:59 PM
Hi Greg, I agree with your stance on the term political. I find this term...
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Madeleine Musgrove Post 94 (summarised) in reply to 90

23 September 2018, 10:44 AM
I agree I also have a problem with using the term political in the...
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sam Booth Post 91 (summarised) in reply to 1

15 September 2018, 3:56 PM
I had not considered Leadership to be the innovator or catalyst but on...
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Madeleine Musgrove Post 95 (summarised) in reply to 91

23 September 2018, 10:48 AM
On reflection I've found the same, that new and innovative leaders have often...
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Madeleine Musgrove Post 93 (summarised) in reply to 1

23 September 2018, 10:38 AM
I find your definition effective and concise and agree that collaboration and...
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Jill Anderson Post 114 (summarised) in reply to 93

14 December 2019, 8:39 PM
I also included the word creative in my definition. It seems to me to be...
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Amy Petterson Post 96 (summarised) in reply to 1

5 December 2018, 1:04 PM
Love it - I should base my practise on these words - I especially like...
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John Meikleham Post 97 (summarised) in reply to 1

8 January 2019, 4:48 PM Edited by the author on 8 January 2019, 4:55 PM
This definition resonates with me in terms of my experiences. Whilst we all...
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Fiona Lawley Post 99 (summarised) in reply to 1

26 February 2019, 10:47 AM

Definition of Leadership

 The description is technical and word-led and...
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Rose Thompson Post 103 (summarised) in reply to 1

14 June 2019, 12:25 PM
I quite like this definition, and unlike a few other posts below I really...
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Nicola Brooks Post 104 (summarised) in reply to 103

9 July 2019, 12:24 PM
I agree, I like this definition as it captures a lot of the facets of...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 105 (summarised) in reply to 104

10 July 2019, 10:29 AM
Hi Nicola - this is a great reminder that both issues and people develop, so...
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Megan Parnell-Murphy Post 110 (summarised) in reply to 1

29 September 2019, 10:08 PM

Week 1, Activity 3

 The words that stood out to me in this definition were ‘...
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Marilyn David Post 111 (summarised) in reply to 1

29 September 2019, 10:09 PM
Your definition of leadership is interesting, as it has many dimensions to it...
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Jill Anderson Post 113 (summarised) in reply to 1

14 December 2019, 8:32 PM
My critique of the definition: 'Leadership is a collaborative, political and...
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Sandy Campbell Post 116 (summarised) in reply to 1

17 January 2020, 2:21 AM

Week One Activity Three

 I would agree with the statements of leadership and...
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Carol Jacklin-Jarvis Post 119 (summarised) in reply to 116

17 January 2020, 8:09 AM
Hi Sandy Your addition of transparency to our definition is interesting and...
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