It was an honor to be included in the recent Alpena News article about women and leadership.

Julie Riddle and I sat down for over an hour to discuss the topic. I rambled, and she did a great job listening and asking clarifying questions.

It is always difficult for writers to condense massive amounts of information into the word count restrictions, so I thought I’d use this space to share more thoughts about women and leadership, which, as you’ll discover if you choose to keep reading, is more about leadership in general.

When I was in my role at the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce, it was a position of leadership. But having a leadership title did not automatically make me a leader.

Just as having no title or a title not seen as reserved for a position of leadership would not mean I was not a leader.

Leadership is a thing you do. It is not something you are because of a position or title.

When discussing leadership, I try to stay away from using the words “good” or “bad”. I do not believe there are bad leaders, because I think, to be a leader, you must be good at leadership. There are people in positions of leadership who do a bad job at it, and people who use their persuasive skills to achieve bad things, but I would not call them bad leaders. Instead, I would say they are not a leader at all.

I will also share that leadership is not for everyone, and that is OK. What is most important is to do the best you can at what you do and to be happy.

When you have the opportunity to lead others, whether because of a structured position you are in or because of your relationship with others, there are things that make some people successful leaders, while others falter and never develop into a leader. Leadership can be improved, grown, practiced, and developed. The following are the most common characteristics of the best leaders I know.

Leaders care about people and they care about numbers. One without the other and leadership falters.

Leaders provide an environment where others can flourish, and do not stand in the way of others’ growth, even if it means they may surpass the leader one day. They do not feel threatened by another person’s idea, promotion, looks, growth, or anything else.

Leaders maintain a fair playing field without double standards, keeping high expectations but big rewards that may not only be monetary, because leaders understand what motivates people. They do not play favorites, but they do meet people where they are and hold everyone accountable.

Including themselves.

Leaders grow in their own leadership purposefully and with insight. They recognize their own areas of strength and weakness and seek to continually improve and learn. They have strong self-editing skills and are open to feedback.

Leaders are authentic and maintain a positive — but realistic — attitude. They never attempt to control others and never disrespect those they lead.

Leaders do not achieve using fear, force, or bullying. They achieve by sharing a vision and helping others achieve it with them and not for them.

I know a lot of amazing leaders. I have also seen some people who believe they are leaders or who are in positions of leadership but are not leaders.

With leadership being a characteristic we can grow and develop, why not take initiative to do so?

If you are in a leadership role and you are not taking initiative to grow your leadership, that is a pretty clear sign that you are not a leader.

So where does the topic of women in leadership fit into this discussion?

To me, it doesn’t.

I generally believe that, when we focus on things like gender, we miss the bigger picture. Male or female, being a leader has challenges and rewards that are different for everyone. If anyone ever has a problem with me in a leadership role because I am a female, I know that says a heck of a lot more about them than it does about me, and I simply continue to move forward. That may mean addressing the issue, or working despite it, but, either way, letting it define my leadership is not an option for me.

At the end of the day, if you are a leader, your leadership should be viewed the same whether you are a woman or a man.

And we should be able to see leadership as exactly what it is, no matter if it is a man or woman in the role.

Jackie Krawczak is president of Jackie Krawczak LLC. Her column runs every three weeks on Thursdays. Follow Jackie on Twitter @jkrawczak.