ON LEADERSHIP Because of his vast experience in the non-profit, governmental, and corporate worlds (Gardner served on a number of corporate boards), John Gardner was often asked to speak on the topic of leadership. In 1984, Gardner decided to take a more scholarly approach to the topic -- to take time out to study and think about leadership. Gardner then quit all the projects in which he was involved, and spent the next five years writing the book, "On Leadership." "Leadership is the process of persuasion or example by which an individual (or leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared by the leader and his or her followers," wrote Gardner. By demystifying the concept of leadership, Gardner was able to examine it carefully. To him, leadership is not the result of extraordinary individuals, rather it's a product of community -- it's "leadership in context." Leaders come from communities and have constituencies. It is from one's community that a leader gets his core values: "leaders are constantly reaching down to that underlying reservoir of values, to connect with what people believe, what they want. That provides the fuel. That's what makes the engine go." Thus, Gardner observes, "failures of leadership were in fact the collapse of community." Communities need leaders, and leaders need communities. To that same end, Gardner argued that large organizations -- whether government, business, unions, or non-profits -- need leaders at every level. One charismatic leader at the top is not good enough. Organizations need people who can take leader-like action to make their piece of the organizations work, who can make system-wide policies work on the ground, and who are not afraid to tell those at the top that new policies need to be changed or discarded. "Vitality at middle and lower levels of leadership," wrote Gardner, "can produce greater vitality in the higher levels of leadership." Gardner also believed that leadership was a skill that needed to be nurtured and taught. But at the same time, leaders came with a wide array and skills and talents. When the right person met the right time, excellence ensued. Leaders, though, had to offer themselves up to the community and take risks. As he wrote in his Journal, "Every leader willing to take risks has moments when he isn't sure whether his people are following him or chasing him." "On Leadership" draws on Gardner's years of experience and his unique perspective as a leader and observer of leaders. It is still a staple of curricula in business schools, education schools, and on the bookshelves of all those interested in the topic.