From ancient philosophers to modern scholars and consultants, we have been obsessed with finding out what makes the extraordinary leaders who generate the forces that change the world.We understand that they have a wide range of personal characteristics ranging from wisdom to bottomless sources of energy; they communicate with vision and passion; they behave ethically and they keep on doing it through change and chaos.We have also come to understand that at some level everyone is a leader. Leadership starts here, now, with you. But where do you start?

I think that Woody Allen summed it up best when he said ‘80% of success is showing up’.The greatest leaders have the capacity to connect with others. If we have come through the information age, then the next one is the age of connectedness. This doesn’t mean e-mail, text messages and PowerPoint presentations. It certainly isn’t yawning or texting your way through meetings that might, if you woke up, change the way you do business. It definitely isn’t biting your lip, shutting down, and pussy footing around difficult issues while you look for excuses, blame others, and say ‘Yes, but’.Showing up as an authentic, connected, human being, means asking and listening to others, giving and accepting feedback, and being willing to engage passionately and respectfully on all kinds of topics with all kinds of people. It isn’t a job. It’s a way of life.Did you show up this year?

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