What is leadership?

• Author: Hammerstrom, Jeanne
• Position: President's Podium

As we dive into our careers, grow our skill sets and get more involved in things that matter to our professional development, sometimes I pause to think about how I got where I am today, with a supportive/loving family, great law firm, wonderful group of friends and mentors and an organization --LMA--that has been my lifeline to successful development in legal marketing. My leadership role in LMA has continued to teach me so much about the industry and what it means to be a leader surrounded by many leaders.

To me, a leader gives his or her time, thoughts and skills toward a cause, organization or community. this is true with the LMA leadership throughout the organization internationally. Chapter presidents, committee and task force leaders, board members and professional staff all have helped us reach goals on our strategic plan, but, more importantly, they have helped to develop more leaders.

I've read all the books, as I am sure you have, on effective leadership skills, "how to lead in a dysfunctional organization," and one of my favorites, "leadership for dummies." If you think back to your school years, there were kids (or perhaps even you) who were president of the class, captain of the soccer team or debate champion, and they stood out. But not everyone has to be the captain or president to lead. The success of an organization is created by multiple people's input. For example, the people who are asked to lead LMA committees and task forces are asked because they have leadership ability, but also because we know that they'll seek out committee members who will help them reach their goals.

I'd like to share some of your fellow LMA members' thoughts on what leadership means to them.

"To me, leadership is not about title or position. It's...