INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA | Leaders and leadership are two very different things. Leaders often inherit their roles or have the title given to them by virtue of their age or status – think His Royal Highness King Such-and-Such or the distinguished senior senator from state X.
Leadership, however, is forged by the fire. Whether you’re talking about sports, business, government, churches or military campaigns, there are those who carry the titles of leader and then there are those who lead. Sometimes it’s the same person. Many times it is not. A general might call the shots but it’s often the sergeants who inspire.
In team golf, which happens so rarely that we talk about it for months before and weeks after, leaders are those who bring together disparate interests and competing egos; who know and say the right words at the right time; who perform in ways that rally and who strike the perfect balance of confidence and humility.
