Good governance needs leadership, another word we're hearing a lot these days.

Leadership is about having a clear sense of the right direction for an organization and being able to guide others towards it. Co-op directors may not think of themselves as leaders, but they should. And they should
understand what it means to be a leader.

Leadership is not about power or control. Good leaders are enablers and consensus builders who serve the interests of others, whether it's the members of a co-op or the citizens of a country. Leaders need to earn confidence and trust if they are to win support for the direction they want to set. We call this leadership by consent. It's the only kind that works in a housing co-op.

Leadership is a personal quality. In a co-op we look for leadership in the directors, individually and together.

Housing co-ops have begun to talk about principled leadership. Principled leadership means having a set of values that guide leaders' actions at all times. It means personal integrity-a commitment to do what is good and right, what is ethical. Here's a way to say what principled leadership means:

Principled leadership means leading by example as we apply ethical standards to our decisions and actions, in a way that reflects our shared values.

You can't get away from ethics and values when talking about this subject. Principled leadership is founded on these qualities.

Now let's see what that means in a housing co-op.