“Leadership is influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.”

I was taught a lot of bullshit in my Army days but the definition on the first page of that book is seared into my brain. It’s succinct and I still refer to it when evaluating myself and my efficacy as a leader. It’s a great little manual to start with, especially when most books on leadership are 90% marketing garbage.