Another essential ability of a leader is having direction and being able to cast it on his/her followers. Direction must be verb-centric and understood in the sense of leadership being a dynamic process rather being noun-centric and static.

"A leader must know where they are headed in life, both professionally and personally, with strength to persist even in the face of setbacks and failures." (Warren Bennis | On Becoming a Leader). Bennis also gives leaders very practical advice in On Becoming a Leader. - "If you don't know where you are going, you can't possibly get there." Bennis says that leaders have vision.

I agree, but from a strictly foundational point of view, leaders have and offer direction [I will discuss vision at a later date]. As leaders, we cannot offer direction if we do not know where we are headed. Verb-centric direction is vital to the health of community that you lead.

Leadership is a process that never fully ends so leadership must be verb-centric. Yes we achieve goals and such but then what? We generally move towards our next goal. Verb-centric is action oriented while noun-centric seeks to contain something into a definable box. Personally I desire for my leadership to be contagious and never contained. This helps to fuel the continual concept of leadership process and continual offering of direction.

In order for leaders to offer direction to others, they must know why they are pursing the course they have chosen. Leaders have the responsibility to cast direction. Followers and leaders together have the responsibility in engaging direction. John Maxwell says, "anyone can steer a ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course." Leaders have and must offer direction because they are the true course charters.