Effective Leaders Don’t List Commitments ... They Live Commitments What really defines leadership? Our concepts of leadership are usually based on our unique personal experiences, and it is clear that a leadership style that works in one situation can be a recipe for disaster in another. In leadership, one size does not fit all. In The Five Commitments of a Leader , Mark Leheney asserts that a more revealing way to examine leadership is through the commitments a leader makes (or fails to make). He focuses on five commitments a leader must make to be effective—commitments to: •The self •People •The organization •The truth •Leadership