Welcome Baywalk readers to the April edition of Creating Success Viewpoint on Baywalk.com. This month we break away from the topic trend of the last 5 months and enjoy a tongue in cheek discussion regarding the drive to be a leader. A special thank you to Will Smith for coming up with the catch phrase "Who Da Man?" We hope you enjoy our look at the topic: "Who Da Leader?"

My plan for the April Baywalk.com article was a treatise on implementing plans and corporate visions, and the application of project management techniques for success. A great follow-up to our last five articles regarding strategic planning and corporate/leadership focus. However, you are receiving a reprieve as my creative juices were stimulated in a different direction during a flight to Sacramento. I was sitting in my seat contemplating the reasons/career drivers about why I would give up consulting and take a corporate position again. From time to time I receive calls from recruiters attempting to lure me back to corporate life via a variety of leadership positions.

So, why would anyone want to be a leader? I went back to the time in my life when I entered the "business world" to look for answers. My MBA training was focused on developing operating executives with a strong emphasis on organizational analysis and strategic planning. I guess "they" figured if you knew where to look and the right questions to ask to get information, you would be a pretty good decision maker. So, armed with my expertise I ventured into the business world and sought a position as an operating leader. As my career progressed, I aspired for greater positions of leadership, citing better pay, enhanced job satisfaction, and the kudos that came with leadership roles. Well, maybe I wasn't as honest about the kudos part. The truth was I wanted to prove to myself that I had the ability to do the job. When I finally attained that most senior operating position, it wasn't exactly as I imagined. Yes, I got the job done, and did it well with the help of a Board of Directors and a wonderful team of employees. I did have feelings of accomplishment, overcoming challenges, a "hostile take over," and returning the company to profitability. I also realized that the trappings of leadership were very overrated. Someone forgot to mention that money and power are not a fair compensation for the personal cost of leadership.

"Who Da Leader?"

When someone uses the term leader, we generally think of individuals such as corporate executives like Bill Gates or Michael Eisner, world leaders, presidents of our country, and sports figures leading their teams to championships such as Michael Jordan or John Elway. We are conditioned to think of money and glory, position and power.

So, why wouldn't everyone want to be a leader? Here are a few good answers:

• 65 to 80 plus hour weeks (I don't remember my thirties except for work).
• Stress, living out of suit cases, lawsuits, cash flow problems.
• Corporate politics and the treachery of corporate ladder climbing.
• Monetary compensation that fails to make up for lost marriages, and missing a daughter's or son's childhood.
• Spending most of your life feeling alone.

My point is, the fruits of leadership never taste as good, last as long, seem as valuable, as they appeared when you were wishing for those roles.

Do we need leaders?

YES! First, without leaders, we have a tendency to make little progress and proceed in a circular motion toward our objective; that is if we have a defined objective. Second, success is defined by the willingness of individuals to accept responsibility and accountability to meet the goals of the organization. Without leaders, we are lost in a sea of activity or inactivity.

Who is a leader?

Leaders are not just CEOs/COOs; they are team leaders, supervisors, managers, directors, vice presidents, general managers, etc. Leaders are anyone who assumes responsibility for getting the job done. Leader importance can not be determined by title, salary level, education, car ownership, or size of house. Great leaders are not necessarily the brightest or best educated. They are individuals that are fair, mature, seek to succeed through helping their fellow workers be their best, accept responsibility, and have ethics that demand they "do the right thing." A leader is not someone who manages the status quo. It is someone that continually looks to improve, to challenge, to reinvent success again and again.

So, should you be a leader?

So the questions are:

• to be a leader or not to be a leader?
• to be what level of leader?

After twenty-five plus years in business, I still haven't found the magical formula for making "right" career decisions. Each leadership role has its own rewards and personal price tags. The impact on the life of an individual accepting a supervisor position, can be just as dramatic as the impact on a director level or CEO candidate.

However, here are the questions I ask myself about corporate leadership roles:

• Will I have fun?
• Will I use all or part of my skills?
• Will my career and personal goals match up with those of the organization?
• Will the organization embrace and practice the highest ethics in the course of business activity?
• Will the demands of the job allow for a balance of work, family, and personal activities?

For me, I need a yes answer to all of the above questions before the issue of compensation comes up. And my final decision, I seek direction from a higher power through prayer.

Have a great month.