When people speak of leadership, agility, mission, vision - they are many time not speaking from experience or past performance. But instead speak as an adviser to those attempting to lead. The exceptions exist of course - Jack Welch, Larry Bosidy, Colin Powell and the like.
Here's a quote from Chief Naval Operation's (CNO) priorities on "alignment," (meaning alignment with the mission) ...
This involves a couple of things. First, we must ensure that our organizations, systems, and processes are aligned to deliver exactly what they are designed to produce — a combat-capable Navy, ready to sail into harm's way. Second, alignment involves clear communication, from the recruiter, to the LPO to the CO to the CNO. It's about communicating realistic expectations and then helping Sailors accomplish realistic goals — in a word, credibility.
Notice the "sail into harm's way." When we speak of leadership, from self organizing to command and control, we need a a domain and a context in that domain. If there are no or little consequences for failure, leading a team is pretty much a straight forward task. One you can probably learn by reading a book or listening to "leadership" voices on Blogs and conferences.
