“Are you a leader,” I got asked.

Earlier today, I was on a call with two potential partners discussing a potential start-up (overusing the word “potential,” I know). It was an amicable debate, but there has been some tension recently related to the questions of vision, roles, and the split of ownership.

“Are you a leader”, I got asked.

I had to take a few moments before answering this question. I knew it had to be Yes or No. These bold questions require clear answers. Yes or No. There could be no “ifs”, and no discussions of caveats.

Or could there be?

I answered “No,” though I still ended up discussing the caveats.

Harvard Business School would be ashamed: fifteen damn years since I graduated from the place that has leadership written over its every course, case study, and restroom (ok, maybe not), and I’m not a leader ?!

Why did I say “No?”

I wasn’t thinking of a precise definition of “leadership,” but the first thing that came to mind is the idea of uniting a group of people around some shared vision and leading them toward a goal related to that vision.

From that perspective, no, I can’t boast some experience where I led a group of people of meaningful size toward some common goal. I mean have some of these experiences, but nothing I can…