Leadership is cast in many roles and, thus, leadership educators may be found in a variety of venues, including youth club organizers, junior high and high school teachers, college professors, student program directors in higher education, community development professionals, military trainers, religious groups, human resource development specialists, civic organizations, and consultants. Additionally, there are untold numbers of people engaged in leadership education in a wide range of venues in countries throughout the world. In addition to teachers and trainers, there are leadership coaches, mentors, and role models. Some leadership educators are skill builders while others teach from theoretical frameworks and conceptual models; some encourage studying the lives of great leaders while others invoke action and reflection. The focus of each educator's work draws on his or her personal beliefs and assumptions about leadership, as well as about education. This article describes the many shades of meaning when discussing leadership. A framework for describing the field is presented for the exploration of values and beliefs in five areas: (1) the leadership learner; (2) the overall purpose of leadership education;(3) the content or subject matter to be taught; (4) the learning process; and (5) the role of the leadership educator.