In response to the 1/5/11 post, “Yes, I Know the Hours are Long – Part 19” a LYS Superintendent writes: Sean, Perhaps a better a way to say “leadership is a form of manipulation” is to quote John Maxwell’s Second Irrefutable Law of Leadership: “The true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.” Keep up the great dialogue! SC Response You are absolutely correct, thanks for the assist. I’m kind of embarrassed that I missed that, especially since I am a Maxwell fan and his book (which you quote), “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” is on my list of top ten books for all school leaders. People are often surprised by the amount of work that LYS does directly with teachers. Their statement usually is, “We thought you just work with people in leadership roles?” Our answer is, “You are correct. We work with leadership, both formal and informal.” This is in line with Maxwell’s teachings. If a teacher isn’t a person who occupies a position of influence, then who is? And if influence is the currency of leadership (which we both agree, it is) that means at the very least, every teacher occupies an informal leadership role. Instead of trying to minimize this fact, we embrace it. Hence, Lead Your School. Think. Work. Achieve.Your turn…Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation