A while back I went with one of my sons to his indoor rock climbing competition. I've attended many of these events, and I've always been struck by the special vibe that accompanies them.

The rock climbing gym was buzzing with the energy of athletes of all ages, as they prepared for some really intense competition. The buzz is not unlike what you would find at most weekend athletic tournaments that parents bring their children to, but I have found that rock climbing competitions have a unique culture and atmosphere.

Whenever someone takes on a climb, the whole gym yells with encouragement and cheers him or her on. And by everyone, I mean everyone: coaches, parents, and competitors from different climbing gyms.

It goes further. After my son completed his first attempt at a particular climb, he was approached by an opponent from a different gym. He gave my son a few pointers on how to tackle the climb differently on his next try.

Imagine that—opponents not only cheering for one another but also coaching each other to perform at their personal best.

Then it hit me: In indoor rock climbing, the competition isn't between the climbers. The competition is the climb itself. It's the obstacle that everyone is trying to defeat. There are still winners and losers, but that's based on skill and talent, and not necessarily vanquishing an opponent.

A lot of the organizations I work with could use a little more of this spirit. I've seen a lot of organizations in which the cultures are really focused on fierce internal competition. Sometimes the internal competition is fiercer than the competition in the marketplace.

We've forgotten who we're really competing against.

What if we operated more like athletes competing in an indoor climbing event? Can you imagine showing up to work to find your fellow leaders ready to support you? Ready to provide you with coaching to make you better? Ready to encourage you, rather than try to break you down?

You would be a completely different leader. In fact, you would be a completely different human being.

I believe this is the biggest missed opportunity in leadership today. More and more of the leaders I work with today are expressing a yearning for something different in their experience of leadership. I can understand why. For most of us, the experience has been mediocre.

Think of your own experience. There's a good chance you and your fellow leaders haven't been on the same page and have worked at cross-purposes because strategic clarity has been low. Or maybe the primary focus is on protecting turf and competing internally, silo against silo. Conflict runs rampant. Frustration is high, and getting anything done feels next to impossible.

Or your experience may be one of sheer apathy where there is little energy or vitality. You and your fellow leaders seem to be going through the motions—bystanders cloaked with fancy leadership titles. It's exhausting and even demoralizing.

Whatever the experience, you may end up questioning why you ever became a leader in the first place. You also know deep down that there has to be a better way.

There is.

What if, instead, you worked with a group of leaders who were all truly aligned to the vision and strategy of your organization? What if there were a real sense of collaboration that enabled innovation to flourish? What if all the leaders in your organization showed up every day fully committed to being the best leaders they could possibly be? What if leaders supported one another to achieve higher levels of personal and collective performance?

This is what a genuine community of leaders feels like. It's the fourth term of the leadership contract (see Figure 8.1). It's also the foundation to building a strong leadership culture that will be your ultimate differentiator.

This idea may seem like some distant dream. But the truth is that it isn't a dream; it's what you need to create excellence and opportunity in your organization.

The Missed Opportunity

I believe a community of leaders is the real missed opportunity in organizations today. If there's one thing I've learned over the past 25 years in the leadership business, it's this: If you can create a strong community of leaders in your organization, it will become your ultimate differentiator. As one CEO client of mine put it recently, “If I can figure out how to get our top three layers of leadership truly aligned and engaged to our strategy—fully committed to be the best leaders possible—it will be our secret sauce, our edge in the market.” He is not alone in this thinking. More and more senior leaders I work with are starting to understand the power of building a strong community of leaders. That's what the final term of the leadership contract is all about and what we will focus on in this chapter.

This has been the most important theme that has emerged for me since writing the first edition of this book. Of all the ideas I shared from The Leadership Contract, this one about building a community of leaders has resonated the most with leaders and organizations everywhere.

All my conversations have validated that as leaders we are disconnected. We are tired of working at cross-purposes. We want to feel a greater sense of connection with our fellow leaders. And organizations also know they aren't doing enough to build strong communities of leaders. They know how much more successful they would be if they could.

As I explained in Chapter 2, the challenge we have is that our old models of leadership have always been about individuals—the one single hero at the top of the organization. This model may have been sufficient in a simpler time. It is becoming clear, however, that this model won't work in a more complex world. No one leader can have all the answers today. And when you think about it, it's pretty risky to put all your faith in one individual.

We Are Wired for Community

If the old model of leadership has always been about individuals, then the model for the future is about a community of leaders. The good news is we are ready for it, because as humans we're wired for community.

Seth Godin in his book Tribes says that for millions of years, humans have been part of one tribe or another. We can't seem to help it. Our need to belong is one of the most powerful survival mechanisms that we have. Whether it is through the small villages in which we live, or the clubs and groups that we form, we seem to have an internal need to connect and interact with others.

Neuroscience validates this theory and shows that feeling connected is intrinsically rewarding for each of us at the cellular level.¹ Health research also shows that the social support that comes from being part of strong communities is good for our health.² We don't need to look further than the proliferation of social media sites. Online communities have the same effect on us, tapping into our need to belong and to be connected.

If we extend this thinking to leadership, I believe the individuals who are able to build and sustain a strong community of leaders will thrive in the future. But this is a new idea, and we need to acknowledge that most of us don't live in strong communities of leaders at all. Because we've had such a focus on individual leaders, we've never taken the time to understand how to leverage leadership more broadly in organizations. Sure, some companies invest a lot in leadership development, but in the end, these development models are built to produce individual leaders. Very little focus is on helping build collective leadership. Few organizations are able to truly create and sustain a strong leadership culture. As a result, the kinds of leadership cultures that exist in most organizations today aren't that effective, and in some cases, they are downright dysfunctional. Let's look at a few examples.

A Rotting of Zombies

In this organization, leaders show up every day merely going through the motions. They are zombies—the walking dead. The leadership culture they create lacks vitality, focus, and positive energy. The atmosphere feels dull and mundane. Leaders don't have clarity about what they are there to do, and there is little commitment to doing the work. It can be a pretty dreadful place to be. This is what existed in the beige organization where I worked with Zinta.

This environment is typical of many heavily bureaucratic organizations. Performance is not strong, and trying to get anything done is next to impossible. At the individual level, it can feel stifling. You can smell the stale air of mediocrity. It's like living at a Department of Motor Vehicles where they've locked the doors, and you have no way out.

You know you are part of a rotting of zombies when your day-to-day environment lacks a real sense of urgency. There's no unifying force that brings your leaders together. There is no clear set of expectations for leaders about how they should behave and act.

Zombie leaders have no sense of connection to one another or to a greater compelling vision. Instead, they're connected by their collective misery. They are like crabs in a bucket. If one tries to escape, the others will grab him and pull him back down, thereby always preserving the same sorry state of affairs. Real leaders who try to change things for the better ultimately give up because of the huge amount of inertia. My colleague Zinta tried to change this kind of organization 25 years ago. She faced resistance at every turn. As we know, she may have paid the price with her life—the stress of working in a leadership culture that was a rotting of zombies eventually and sadly took its toll.

I was asked to deliver the closing keynote speech on The Leadership Contract for a Conference Board event a while back. At the end of that talk, I challenged the audience to build a community of leaders in their workplace by reaching out and strengthening one relationship with a fellow leader—a very small step. At the end of my presentation, one woman approached me and said, “You know, Vince, I thought hard about your challenge to us, and I can't think of a colleague I care enough about to strengthen the relationship.” She could sense my disappointment. She then proceeded to describe her day-to-day environment. She didn't know it, but she was describing a rotting of zombies. It was wearing her down. The leadership culture was weak. There was no emotional connection among the leaders in that organization. I asked if she'd gained any insights from my presentation. She said, “It's clear that I have a choice to make: either to leave this place or start building community nonetheless.” I don't know what she decided to do, but my hope is that she didn't just go back to being a zombie.

A League of Heroes

Many organizations have leadership cultures that can be described as a league of heroes that is often rooted in the charismatic personality of one leader—usually the founder or CEO. It's ultimately based on the old model of leadership that glorifies one hero. At times, this organization can have some positive aspects if the glorified leader at the top is a person of integrity. When the glorified leader is highly narcissistic, however, the work environment goes bad fast and can become dysfunctional.

The real risk with a league of heroes is that too much rests on one individual leader. When that leader leaves, nothing sustainable is left behind. The organization dies.

I worked with an organization led by one of these glorified leaders. Greg was the founder and CEO of his company. He was a terrific individual who was extremely charismatic and very good at what he did. He was also adored by his employees. And when I say adored, I mean truly adored. It wasn't uncommon for employees located at offices around the world to have Greg's photo framed at their workstations. How many of you as leaders can say that your employees have your photo on their desks? That's the level of connection that this organization's employees felt with Greg. His impact on the company was significant. However, there was little room for other leaders to exert influence on the organization. The leadership culture was not as strong as it needed to be. Too much was on Greg because other leaders didn't step up.

Unfortunately, Greg died in a tragic accident. The company was distraught and became lost without him. Performance plummeted. A huge hole was left, and the other leaders who were thrust into senior leadership roles struggled. It took some time for the organization to get back on track, and it did so only after a lot of pain. Eventually, the company was sold to a competitor. It was the only way to carry on the legacy that Greg started when he created the company.

This story shows the risk taken when a leadership culture is anchored to one leader who is the hero. When it's all rooted in one leader, even if that person is great, it can turn a company upside down when that leader leaves because nothing sustainable beyond that leader's work has been created.

A Stable of Thoroughbreds

Take a moment and picture in your mind horses at a track getting ready to race. They're in their starting gates, pawing the ground, snorting, full of restrained energy. The starting bell rings and the horses are off, each determined to reach the finish line first.

Many organizations have leadership cultures that can be described as a stable of thoroughbreds. Leaders behave like those horses. Each is in his or her own starting gate, representing his or her department or function. They all have blinders on and are completely focused on their own objectives and priorities. As the starting bell rings, the gates open and they are off, each trying to win and cross the finish line first. The competition is fierce; it's all internally focused and highly dysfunctional.

I worked with the top 80 leaders of an organization during a leader forum event. The purpose of the meeting was to tackle many of the dysfunctional ways in which the top leaders were working with one another. A hot issue surfaced on day two of the program, and all hell broke loose. I let it go for a while to see whether anyone would notice. Sometimes you have to do that to make leaders aware of the dysfunction they have created. After several minutes, the CEO finally did notice. She turned to me with complete frustration and exasperation and said, “Why can't we operate as one company?” She'd seen the light and understood the extent of the problems she was facing. The company's leadership culture was not sustainable. She would not be able to change the company until the leadership culture was changed. She needed to create a one-company mindset.

I let the discussion continue even further until I began to notice the frustration peak among the leaders. I then stood on a table and yelled out to get their attention. “Ladies and gentleman, what's going on here?” I asked. “Let me remind you that the competition isn't in here; it's out there [I pointed to the windows], and they are beating you because you choose to spend your days fighting with one another in here.”

Silence filled the room. Slowly people started to speak up, reflecting on what had happened in the room and how it was exactly like their day-to-day experiences. We began an important discussion that slowly started to lead this group of leaders to a place of heightened awareness. The fact was that they needed to change or they would be out of business. That imperative allowed them to refocus on what they needed to do to survive.

I have found this idea of building a one-company mindset a big opportunity for organizations. More and more CEOs desperately want it to take hold because they know it's what will drive long-term success. However, making it a reality isn't easy, especially when you work with thoroughbreds every day.

You know your leadership culture is like a stable of thoroughbreds when senior leaders behave as heads of their functional areas rather than as true leaders of the whole organization. One or two functional areas will typically dominate the organization, and those leaders end up competing with each other, trying to be the one who is really running the company. You will typically see classic departmental structures and silos that are deeply entrenched, preventing any real collaboration, innovation, or drive.

I find the real challenge with a stable of thoroughbreds is that internal competition becomes the ultimate driving force. That's what leaders get obsessed about, consumed by, and rewarded for. Politics, posturing, and game playing rule the day. You win when the other guy or gal loses—even when the other guy or gal is a colleague. You'll never build a one-company mindset in this leadership culture.

A client I worked with had two strong executives: One led marketing and the other led research and development (R&D). Those in marketing saw themselves as the leaders of the company because they were the owners of the sales strategy. The people in R&D saw themselves as the leaders because they developed new products for customers. Both senior vice presidents were very capable, but they had created a false competition between the two parts of the organization. The internal competition was wasting considerable energy and derailing the overall success of the company.

Whether it be sales versus marketing, head office versus the field, corporate versus lines of business—whenever this kind of internal competition exists, in the long-term it works against a company. It keeps leaders internally focused. Worse, it keeps them focused only on their own success rather than on the collective success of the entire organization. And you see it play out in many obvious and subtle ways—departments that don't share resources, succession planning efforts that get stalled because leaders don't share talent across the organization, or lines of business that are unable to drive innovation and change aggressively.

At the extreme, getting anything done in this type of organization is absolutely painful. Everything feels like a fight, and a vision of building a one-company identity is naïve at best.

It's Time to Build a Community of Leaders

Now is the time to become deliberate and build a genuine community of leaders. That's what the fourth term of the leadership contract demands from you.

Having a community of leaders means recognizing that leadership is not about individual leaders but rather the entire cadre of leaders. When you get it right, it can be your ultimate differentiator—your truly sustainable source of competitive advantage—and it all begins with you. You can decide to start creating a community of leaders where you live every day as a leader. You don't have to be a CEO to start.

You also don't need any special knowledge or insight. You already know what a strong community of leaders is like. One question I always ask leaders is: What kind of climate would you need to be at your best and make your fullest contribution as a leader?

It's remarkable to me how consistent the answer is when I ask this question. Leaders don't describe a rotting of zombies. They don't describe a league of heroes. They don't describe a stable of thoroughbreds. They never say, “I will be at my best in a climate of apathy, low trust, or low alignment.” They always say the same thing. “I will be at my best in a climate where leaders have real clarity about the value they must bring. There's a deep commitment to the organization and to being the best possible leaders. There's high trust and mutual support among leaders, and this extends into relationships with employees. Everyone is part of one company, fully committed to drive its success.”

After years of asking the question over and over again and getting the same answer from leaders in all sectors, at all levels, and in different countries, it seems to me we already know what we need to do. We're hardwired for it. We crave the kind of one-company mindset that we know is possible. Yet we struggle to create real leadership communities, remaining trapped instead within ineffective and even dysfunctional leadership cultures. It's time we bring about what we already intuitively know we need.

A Strong Community of Leaders—Clarity and Commitment

Every strong community of leaders that I've experienced or witnessed shares two critical characteristics: a high degree of clarity and a high degree of commitment.

First, all leaders are clear in their understanding that the community of leaders is built upon a shared aspiration for great leadership. Everyone understands that leadership will be the ultimate differentiator. A client of mine is the CEO of a financial services company, and he believes that every employee deserves a great leader. He's completely focused on making it happen. This simple idea sets the tone for the rest of the organization.

The community is not created merely to establish a better way for leaders to work together, although that does happen. Instead, the goal is to make your company more successful and drive sustainable business achievement. It's about that one-company mindset I described earlier. The community of leaders is also based on the reality that no one leader will have all the answers. Leadership is more distributed today and we must leverage the capability, ingenuity, and commitment of all leaders and employees.

Second, there is a high degree of clarity about the kind of leadership required for success. As a leader, you have a clear understanding of the leadership expectations. You know what you must do to make the organization successful, and you know how you need to lead. You don't settle for lame or bad leadership. In fact, a strong community of leaders removes those individuals who consistently fail to live up to their leadership expectations and obligations. These organizations know that a few bad leaders can undermine the overall leadership culture. So they don't tolerate lame or bad leadership. Neither should you.

You will also find that leaders demonstrate a high degree of commitment, first to the idea of a community of leaders and also to the work that needs to happen to make it so. You demonstrate your collective accountability and commitment by setting the pace and committing to being the best possible leader you can be. This is part of your decision and obligation as a leader, and it's part of your role in fulfilling the first two terms of the leadership contract. Be the leader everyone else wants to emulate.

You and your fellow leaders also demonstrate your commitment by doing the hard work of leadership. No one is a bystander or spectator. Everyone participates fully. You have the courage to call out bad leadership behavior. You challenge the community if leaders are not living up to the aspiration of great leadership. At first, this will be difficult; but once you create your community of leaders, everyone will come to expect it. They will look to you for feedback, and you will look to them for feedback. You will have a deep sense of personal commitment to your fellow leaders. You will support their growth and development.

In fact, if you aren't living up to the level of leadership that has been set, you can count on someone in the community of leaders to reach out to you and say, “Hey, you aren't doing your job. We need you to be better. So step up!” No one is afraid to challenge another person. You will also know that everyone will have your back. You know they will be there for you to support you, even when you are vulnerable.

For this community to work, you will need to show your commitment over the long term. A strong community of leaders isn't a destination to arrive at. It requires constant work. You must continuously create ways to connect with your fellow leaders, to build and strengthen relationships, and to drive even more clarity and commitment. The good news today is that social media tools can help you build that sense of connection and community among your leaders. Many companies are leveraging social media to help their businesses connect with customers and other stakeholders. Ultimately, social media tools are about creating connections and exchanging ideas. They will help you enable your leaders to connect with one another and build a sense of clarity and commitment.

You will know when you have it right because it will be a visceral feeling. You will feel the high level of clarity and commitment. You will be blown away by the level of trust and mutual support. You will feel that you are a part of something great, something special, and something rare.

If you've never experienced a strong community of leaders, at first you may not trust it because you won't believe it's going to work. But give it time. It will be hard work, but it will be extremely rewarding. As a leader, you'll feel liberated because you'll have a sense of confidence, knowing that others have your back and are acting in your best interests and in the best interests of the organization.

I experienced this visceral feeling back in August 2011. It was days after Hurricane Irene hit the Caribbean, the U.S. East Coast, and parts of eastern Canada, and I was flying home after a business trip. My seat on the plane placed me in the middle of a group of eight young men. They were talking loudly, joking around, full of excitement and energy.

I chatted with them as we took off. The most talkative member of the group, Daryl, reminded me a bit of the lead singer in a band, brimming with charisma and effortlessly able to connect with people. He introduced the rest of the group to me and explained they were a line crew for a contract utility company. They were headed to Toronto to pick up some trucks and then drive to Connecticut to repair electrical lines damaged by the hurricane.

This big mission explained why they were so excited, but as the flight continued I noticed something else about this group. They were constantly teasing one another. They shifted easily from talking about their personal lives to talking about the job they were going to do in Connecticut. It was obvious that they shared a deep connection. They weren't just friendly co-workers; they had a true bond.

I said to the group, “You guys seem really tight. Why is that?” As soon as I asked the question, I could see Daryl's demeanor change. He became still and thoughtful. He said, “Doing the kind of work we do, we're taking our lives into our hands every single day. We're like a band of brothers. We have to have each other's backs—one mistake and you can lose somebody forever.”

That's what it feels like when you share a deep connection with your colleagues. That's what is possible when you are part of a strong community of leaders. But I don't think it should take a hurricane to build that powerful sense of connection and trust. Your life doesn't have to be on the line. Rather, it simply requires a common aspiration, clarity, and commitment on the part of all the leaders in your organization.

As you read this section, you might be saying to yourself, “Vince, this is all sounding pretty idealistic, soft, and fuzzy. Isn't it?” Here's the surprise—it's actually really difficult to do. We sometimes use the soft excuse to avoid doing the really difficult things needed to build a strong community of leaders.

But imagine the difference to your employees, your customers, and your shareholders. Imagine the collaboration, innovation, and productivity that will result from having that community in place. It will be staggering.

Has Everyone Noticed the Change in the Room?

Rob was the CEO of a large utility company. He had been in his role for about 18 months. During that time, he had rebuilt his executive team. Even though he had a strong team, he knew it alone couldn't lead the company. He needed all his leaders aligned and on board, so he established the first leadership forum meeting for his top 200 leaders. It was a one-day event to bring the top leaders together to learn about the strategy of the company.

As he entered the meeting room that day, he was stunned by how quiet everything was. As he was getting his cup of coffee, he saw that 200 leaders were all sitting alone quietly. Very little discussion was happening. He led the day, but it was a painful experience. The leaders just sat there, listening but not engaged in other ways. Rob said, “It was like pulling teeth.”

When Rob discussed the day with his executive team, they all realized that they had a lot of strong technical leaders who were very inwardly focused. The team also realized that these leaders would not be equipped to deal with a more complex operating environment requiring them to be more nimble, competitive, and customer centered in the face of deregulation. The experience of the leader forum confirmed that Rob and the team had work to do to strengthen their group of leaders.

We created a leadership development program with the goal of starting to build a community of leaders in the organization. At first, the program met with considerable resistance. In the past, other leadership programs had been seen as a waste of time.

However, as the cohorts began to go through the program, they began to realize its value, and perceptions began to change. About a year after running a series of the intensive leadership programs, Rob held another leadership forum event for the top 200 leaders. This time when he entered the meeting room, Rob was struck by a very different vibe. As he went to pour himself a cup of coffee, he noticed that this time there was a positive energy in the room that hadn't existed a year before. He could see leaders talking and laughing with one another. He could tangibly feel that something profound had changed. He began his opening remarks by saying, “Good morning, everyone. Have you noticed the change in the room today?” He began to explain what he observed, what he felt, and how it differed from a year ago.

The leaders in the room agreed, and an impromptu open discussion took place. It became clear that things hadn't changed just in the meeting room; things had changed on the job, too. Leaders talked about how they felt more optimism, more clarity, a greater receptivity to change, and a deep sense of trust and support.

One leader, Brian, shared a story to validate everyone's observations. He said he had taken part in the leadership program back in the spring, and during the program built some strong relationships with a few leaders whom he hadn't really known before.

A few months after attending the program, Brian had a major crisis at work—one that he had never dealt with before. A lineman in his area died on the job. Brian had to manage the entire situation. He had to inform his people and the family of the employee. He had to manage his own grief and that of his team. Brian shared with the group that in the past he would have just tried to figure it out on his own and that there was a good chance he would have stumbled. This time he immediately reached out to his colleagues from the program and explained, “I was completely taken aback when the four of them immediately came back to me. Within half an hour, two of them were in my office and the other two on a conference call line. And after a 20-minute discussion, they helped me figure out how to effectively handle the crisis, which I did.” Brian concluded by thanking his colleagues and saying that he had never felt that kind of support before in any organization he had worked for.

That's what a true community of leaders is all about. It's important to note that you don't need to be a CEO to create one. As I said earlier, that's the beauty of communities: Anyone can start them. Just look to social media. There are thousands of vibrant online communities that all began with one person who started it and gathered a following. It's the same idea in starting a community of leaders. Any leader at any level can do it. You can start wherever you are—by staying in your department or by bringing together a few leaders at your own level. As you share the idea of a community of leaders, you will find many like-minded individuals—those like you who yearn for a different and much more positive experience of leadership. So don't wait. Start today.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Community Builder?

I was chatting with a senior executive at a large organization that had just seen a new CEO arrive on the scene. I asked how it was going, and she said that the striking thing about the new CEO was that he was very “self-effacing.”

She said this was a big change from the former CEO who was very smart but brash and lacking in modesty. She said, “He would suck all the oxygen out of any room because the attention always had to be on him.”

She then proceeded to explain how things already were different with the new CEO. First off, the daily drama the previous CEO had created was eliminated. Other leaders in the company began to step up as more space was created for them. There was a great sense of collaboration among the senior leaders because the new CEO was acknowledging the impact and contribution of others. Essentially, the oxygen was being shared, and everyone could see and feel the difference.

We all know leaders out there who are overconfident and self-centered. However, the propensity to be brash and consumed with one's own personal agenda can come at the expense of a company's agenda. Acting like the lone hero can undermine other leaders and the entire organization. It also keeps you isolated and disconnected. This is an approach to leadership that many of us know too well and one that gets in the way of building a true community of leaders.

Now imagine a different approach—one that is more self-effacing. In fact, you can see the business world starting to celebrate examples of self-effacing leaders. For example, Wall Street cannot say enough good things about leaders like Citigroup CEO Michael L. Corbat.

Wall Street isn't typically known for its quiet and humble leaders. Yet within that world, Corbat has not only helped stabilize Citigroup, but he also has done it without making himself the central focus of stories about the bank's efforts to settle lawsuits and investigations, and return to profitability.

This stands in stark contrast to other Wall Street CEOs who had either become synonymous with, or in some cases eclipsed by the brand of the companies they led. They were continually being quoted in the media and were darlings of the social elite circuits. Many of those leaders later found themselves the poster children for the greed and excess behind the U.S. mortgage crisis.

In the end, this kind of behavior is rooted in selfishness. I was reminded of this point when a client asked me to lead a pointed discussion about the kind of leadership their organization needed to build for the future.

I asked the group of leaders to identify the characteristics of the great leaders they personally admired. The typical things emerged: vision, courage, and a drive for results. As the discussion continued, one leader said that the greatest leaders are selfless. It was a term that caught everyone's attention. Then one by one, people started to agree. Great leaders rarely put themselves or their personal agendas first. They lead for a greater purpose that goes beyond self-interest. They lead for the whole enterprise. It's at the cornerstone of building a community of leaders, and in reflecting on whether you have what it takes. Reflect on the questions below to determine whether you are a selfish or selfless leader.

• Is it all about you? It's been my experience that far too many leaders have self-interest as their primary motivator. They are always asking themselves, “What's in it for me?” Everyone who works for them knows it, and it erodes trust. This doesn't build community.
• Do you abuse your power for personal gain? A clear sign of a selfish leader is the propensity to use your power not only to promote your own career but also to hold others down. Do you take advantage of your position to make decisions and orchestrate outcomes because you will personally gain in the end? This behavior doesn't build community.
• Do you spend all your energy protecting your turf? If you do, then you're making every decision through a personal lens rather than doing what's best for your entire company. If you're worried only about your own department, budget, and resources, a genuine sense of community will never happen.

If you answered yes to even one of these questions, then you may be seen as a selfish leader, and you need to address this before you even contemplate trying to build a community of leaders in your organization.

So, we all need to learn how to become community builders. We need to fight the drive to be selfish. We need to fight the tendency to be isolated from one another. We need to break down silos. We need to build relationships with one another. My colleague and I were working with a research and development organization filled with scientists. We were working with the top leaders and sharing the ideas in The Leadership Contract. During a large group debriefing, two of the participants shared with the larger group that both had been with the company for seven years and this was the first time they had ever had a face-to-face conversation. What made the story stand out for me was that both leaders worked in the same building and were just separated by one floor from each other. I said to the large group, “How is something like this even possible? How can you be senior leaders in this company and you don't even know the people in this room?”

They all recognized how silly the situation was and how it held their organization back. We then discussed strategies for them to become true community builders. More on that later in the book.

Final Thoughts—Leadership Is a Community

During my graduate degree program, I took a course on organizational development. My professor, Dave, was in his 70s. He was a wise and mild-mannered individual. In one class we were talking about organizational culture. I asked Dave what one key question he would ask in an organization to gauge its culture quickly. He said, “All you need to ask yourself is, ‘How is asking for help viewed in this organization?’” It was a brilliant response.

Dave explained that if you are in an organization where asking for help is seen as a weakness, you can already predict many aspects of the culture. People work hard to prove themselves. Issues are never truly addressed. A sense of internal competition emerges. No one dares to be vulnerable. It's a stable of thoroughbreds.

I've used this question hundreds of times over the years, and the responses I get are always quite telling.

I have found that being able to ask for help and being confident in getting a positive response is a core characteristic of a strong community of leaders. In these leadership cultures, leaders ask for help. There is no reservation, hesitation, or concern about having to look good. In a strong community of leaders, asking for help is expected for very practical reasons. Everyone understands that there is a lot of work that needs to get done and the organization can't be slowed down. When you don't ask for help, you keep your organization stuck. Issues and problems are allowed to fester, distract you, and suck the energy from your organization.

Ask yourself: How is asking for help viewed in my organization? Your answer will immediately tell you whether you are in an organization where a community of leaders exists or is possible.