Curiosity drove me to look up the word "leader" in my Oxford Dictionary. The first two definitions follow: (a) a person or thing that leads; (b) a person followed by others. These brief but very broad definitions lead, no pun intended, to a multiplicity of scenarios, which you can amuse yourselves with in your leisure. Somewhat deflated by the paucity of thought coming from the Oxford Dictionary on the subject, I turned to Meg Wheatley's article appearing in this issue. Her definition: We believe a leader is anyone who wants to help at this time.

Now surely this is a different spin. You and I can be leaders at moments that press us or motivate us. We can become leaders simply by helping, thus showing others by example that leadership is not reserved for the few. But helping to do what? Meg Wheatley has a sound answer to that, too: helping to build a good and just world. Isn't that what CYD is committed to?

Not so deeply hidden in this definition of leadership is a notion quite unfamiliar to Western thought, and to contemporary American thought in particular. Anyone can lead because everyone can help--and furthermore, we are in such a deep mess that everyone's help is needed. In other words, there is plenty of room here for leadership from youth and elders alike. But we first need to shed the old definition of leadership, in which a hierarchical, two-tier system exists containing leaders and followers--and in which leaders have the solutions. "At its heart," Peter Senge points out in his book, The Fifth Discipline,

. . . the traditional view of leadership is based on assumptions of people's powerlessness, their lack of personal vision, and the inability to master forces of change, deficits which can be remedied only by a few great leaders.

This is an elitist theory of leadership. Its logic has rationalized power differentials, such as slavery and men's dominance over women, since time immemorial. We are now at a transformational period of history that goes beyond this antiquated notion. The emergent idea embraces inclusion, equality, justice, and dignity. But what does it mean concretely to put this new idea into practice?

In this issue our authors identify some fundamental challenges faced by those who would be CYD leaders. These include believing that every young person can be a great leader (Lewis/Wolf), developing learning communities (Wheatley), building youth-adult partnerships (Zeldin et al.), embracing and growing with diversity (Poux), and developing deeper methods for communicating (Bookshelf). These articles reflect a coming of age of CYD, for beyond presenting theoretical frameworks they provide us with illustrations and definitions of success, data supporting positive outcomes from CYD innovations; and methods for identifying and implementing conditions that best predict successful innovations.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that implementing these innovations requires a special kind of leadership at the highest organizational level. It requires patience and sensitive, appropriate training across all disciplines and focuses. The rewards are substantial, as our authors point out, and move us toward to the emergent idea described above.

However, I offer a word of caution. The CYD framework is a multidimensional system that is achievable over time; therefore, choose your entry challenge wisely. Lay out your plan over a three- to five-year span. Put in place a system for accessing your progress through formal evaluation, reflecting on your experience and adapting, on an ongoing basis, your objectives and strategies to fit your new understandings. And, perhaps most importantly, listen closely to the young voices in your community.

John P. Terry, Editor-in-Chief