Leading is a sacrifice, Following is a choice

We spend over three hundred and fifty billion dollars a year on leadership development of one form or another, so we obviously take it seriously.

Yet being appointed to a position that requires us to lead does not make us a leader. Neither does a leadership course. Having a leader appointed to our team does not mean we will follow. Following is a choice, never an instruction.

I was once told by somebody who was most definitely a leader, and one I chose to follow that leading was easy, as long as you knew what you were prepared to die for. A bit dramatic, but she had a point. That level of clarity and commitment would make someone easy to follow, if you chose to share that commitment. The metaphor applies most accurately to those who have a vocation, not just the military. We have seen all types of people, from leaders of movements to quiet followers who match it.

It does make it a bit of a problem when it comes to shareholder based corporations. I can think of very few (not none) who hav…