If business communication were a magic portion, where would you find its secret ingredients? Apparently not in the management books, suggested Tom Lee, of the Chicago-based Arceil Leadership Communication. Lee's presenttaion, kicked off a 2-day session of the Leadership Institute in Baltimore, and set the tone for the annual event where chapter representatives of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) gathered.

Indeed, these are challenging times for business, with mergers, federal lawsuits, layoffs and intense competition. Public Relations, errant e-mail, disinformation and spin are in full play. Therefore it was  unlikely that anyone would have expected to get their hands around the idea of a leadership summit for communicators without a reference to Enron! Not Enron as in the business of shadowy trading manoeuvres, but 'Enronitis', the contagious disease of mistrust and doublespeak that all organizations are anxious to avoid.

Thomas Lee's thesis that "Leadership without communication is bound to fail" struck at the heart of the problem by getting IABC to focus on the stuff that turn ordinary workaday people into Eisenhowers or Hitlers. IABC members know what it is to be thrust into the hot seat and be called upon to be leaders in their own field: Thought leaders, change leaders, opinion leaders. But as volunteers, they must also lead their chapters through the ever-changing business landscape, serving the diverse needs of their local IABC community.

Lee's attempt to drive a wedge between Management and Leadership  at first seemed academic, but it resonated well. We all come from businesses and institutions flooded with management theory where the mantra of Peter Drucker and Tom Peters prevails. Prevails? Make that 'runs rampant'. These gurus --and their erudite 'case studies'-- leave us with the feeling that management qualities are something one is born with. Maybe so. But the gurus always talk of the likes of Microsoft, Virgin, Sony or yes, Enron. But what of those who lead the charge from five-by-four cubicles in companies that never make the Fortune 500 club? Not all of us can be as domineering as GE's Jack Welch or 'paranoid' as Intel's Andy Grove? Take a deep breath and pull the oxygen mask to yourself first. As Lee explained, leadership is different from management in that those who lead always empathize with the needs of their time. (Lee's corollary, though he never said as much: Those who manage emathize alright --with their shareholders.)

The audience was divided into several groups and asked to write down the names of great leaders. Not surprisingly, every group named similar people --Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Churchill, Jesus, Rosa Parks, Hitler, Gorge W. Bush etc. Interestingly, no mention was made of Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan or someone of the caliber of Steven Spielberg (though Steve Jobs made the list). According to Lee, Leadership does not mean being influential, but passionate and motivated. Leaders always employ powerful communication. The oratories of wartime leaders and the inspiring work and perseverance of activists and innovators set them apart. But not all leaders are as articulate. In leadership, eloquence isn't important, said Lee. Words are. Ah, words! They are the ingredients of a cocktail that powers our communication. But they are also the additives of high-octane mass-market products, hype and half truths (buy one, get one free!)   sold at the pump. But when words are mobilized to inspire trust, they pave the path for leadership.

"Leadership" explained Lee, "is often confused with its cousins, tyranny and manipulation". This is based on "the myth that leaders are tall, powerful, wealthy, white, eloquent and attractive."   Because leadership, by definition, requires a group of followers, it will only be present where there is respect, honor and trust. Integrity is the driver of credibility. Lee pointed out that Integrity derives from the word 'integer' and integral. As such the integrity of a leader is intimately bound to his or her integration of such trust. The leader has to be able to inspire followers before being able to lead. In this context, the definition of leadership is "the work of change through people." (notice it is not ‘the work of influence of people’.) And what are the qualities of a effective leader? Whether it is Martin Luther King Jr. in the political arena, or Steve Jobs in the computer sector, the words ‘passion’, ‘vision’, ‘energy’, ‘inspiration’, ‘empathy’ and ‘charisma’ fit their job description. Steve Jobs never wrote an "I have a dream" speech, but we know what his vision of an idiot-friendly computer was. Martin Luther King never made a PowerPoint presentation of a civil rights business plan, but we know how acutely aware he must have been of his 'market'.