Everyone is a leader in that there's a degree of influence we all exert on each other.  Some of us though have been given the privilege to exert our influence in a way that promotes personal and professional growth, creates an enjoyable environment to be present in, provides opportunites for relationship building, all while moving down a specific path. 

Those who practice leadership mastery or an exceptional leader are not those who can just accomplish things.  They are the ones who know how to bring out the best in people.  An exceptional leader attracts people who want to follow them because they offer them something they believe is worthwhile.  It can be how they behave but at a deeper level, it is who they are.  In other words, they are Letting Their Life Speak.

In Robert Anderson and William Adam's book, Mastering Leadership, the authors state 

"Competence is necessary to attain and be effective in senior roles; however competence alone is insufficient.  When we describe great leadership...we use words like integrity, honesty, passion, vision, risk-taking, fearlessness, compassion, courage, authenticity, collaboration, self-awareness, selflessness, purposefulness, humility, intuition, and wisdom.  These are qualities of the inner (emphasis mine) game.  Great leadership is connect with the deepest parts of ourselves.  It has more to do with character, courage, and conviction than it does with specific skills or competencies.  Leadership requires wisdom, self-knowledge, and character development...."