The essence of leadership is broader than possessing certain skills and expertise. It's deeper than what any leadership assessment can reveal. The best way to see leadership is through stewardship. Looking at it through the lens of stewardship, which is an authority over people and accountability before the ultimate owner, is the key to understanding what it means to lead. In the political and government service delivering context, it should be known that the public is the ultimate owner and beneficiary of the outcome of leadership.
The essence of stewardship implies a two-edged proposition. One person owns the resources and the other person is entrusted with the resources. By definition, a steward is accountable to his master for how resources are invested. Scholars in the field all suggest that effective leadership always involved some level of stewardship. This is to mean that acts of stewardship are often a requirement for great leadership.
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