As an active participant in leadership discussions both on blogs and group discussions, I come across a common confusion in definitions.  I saw it again in the comments to a great post by <a title="Jen Kuhn on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/JenKuhnPR" target="_self">Jen Kuhn</a> this week at <a title="Take Me To Your Leader at The Experience Factor" href="http://theexperiencefactor.com/take-me-to-your-leader/913/" target="_blank">The Experience Factor</a>.  I also witnessed it in the series and discussion <a title="David Burkus on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/davidburkus" target="_blank">David Burkus</a> did at <a title="The Leader Lab" href="http://theleaderlab.org/" target="_blank">The Leader Lab</a> on the <a title="The Maxwell Fallacy final post" href="http://theleaderlab.org/2010/04/maxwell-fallacy-stronger-yet-simple/" target="_blank">Maxwell Fallacy</a>.
<h3>Good vs. Bad Leadership</h3>
Let's agree today that <em>good</em> leadership is not the same as <em>effective</em> leadership.  <!--more-->Let's agree that the word <em>good</em> is an evaluation of the end result rather than the leader's actions.  Did it achieve <em>good</em> purposes?  Did it create value?  (By value I mean benefit in excess of cost.)  Did the benefit to all parties exceed the cost to all parties?  Let's agree that <em>good</em> leadership is that authority or influence that creates a <em>good</em> outcome.  If the outcome is not generally <em>good</em>, it would be <em>bad</em> leadership.  Using this model, <em>"bad"</em> becomes a big word.  Any leadership that doesn't create positive outcomes for the contributors and stakeholders can't be <em>good</em>.  As Jen stated in her comments, what Hitler did can't be <em>good</em>.  It can however be <em>effective</em>.
<h3>Effective Leadership</h3>
An <em>Effective</em> leader is someone who manages to get people to do what they want.  It could be defined as one who exerts influence to get others to achieve the leader's objectives regardless of the quality of the outcome.  It will be <em>effective</em> if people allow themselves to be influenced.  The outcomes can be good or bad.
<h3>Just Plain Ugly</h3>
In keeping with the movie, ineffective leadership is just plain Ugly.  We won't even try to clean it up.  If you have to stoop to manipulating or threatening or bullying, that's ugly leadership.

It seems from my connecting with people all over the world through Twitter and the <a title="Lead Change Group on LinkedIn" href="http://bit.ly/leadchange" target="_blank">Lead Change Group on LinkedIn</a>, as well as the interest that has been shown in starting local leadership groups like <a title="Authentic Leadership Cincinnati" href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2149541&amp;trk=myg_ugrp_ovr" target="_blank">Authentic Leadership Cincinnati</a> or Lead Change Tulsa, that a growing number of people agree that our world needs an infusion of good leadership: effective leadership that brings about net-positive outcomes.  The only way to do that is to contribute more than you consume.  Let the revolution continue in your life and sphere of influence today!