ABSTRACT
What does it mean to lead? Many of us are familiar with the concept of leadership, but there are few traditional metrics for evaluating the skill of a leader. Of course, there are always stories in the news about Fortune 500 CEOs being forced out due to falling stock prices—but is that the sole determinant of leadership? Perhaps. The fact is that when things are going well, leaders are praised. When businesses falter, they are the first target for blame and criticism. So maybe stock market success is a partial hallmark of skillful management. But the Baldrige criteria define leadership as more than just your ability to affect the bottom line.
