Learn to Follow to Lead

If you can’t follow, you’ll never lead. In an age of quick-fixes, push button success, and microwave mentality, many if not most have lost what it takes to become a true leader in whatever their chosen field. But first, what is leadership? The management consultant Tom Peters states, “Leadership is confusing as hell.” Is it just someone with followers? No, that can’t be true. That would mean that everyone who has a large social media following is a leader. Hardly. Is it just someone with a certain title or position? No that’s just positional power; and positional power only works to the degree there’s fear. Once fear is gone, so is the ability to lead. How about a good speaker or communicator? No, not just that either. Would you hire a great orator to perform heart surgery on you? Or to run your company?