Leaders, by definition, are people that others follow. Leaders are our point of reference, the people we look to for a sense of where we are in our world. Leaders are people to whom we look for direction. They define our current reality and create the vision for where we’re going.
Leadership is energy and emotion – leaders give it and they generate it in others. Leaders send signals, create waves, set a tone. They may tear us down or lift us up, make us less than we were or the best we can be. Leaders may move us through fear or hope, anger or inspiration, but the point is they move us.
Leaders have an outsized impact on the people around them. Their words and actions have a ripple effect far beyond their immediate audience. From our leaders we understand what is expected and acceptable and what is not, what leads to success and reward and what leads to disapproval and punishment. We read signals and messages in leaders’ words and actions and respond accordingly. People often emulate leaders because they have influence and power, which magnifies the leader’s influence and power. And because people follow leaders, they move whole groups, teams, organizations, communities, and countries.
We can blindly follow a leader or set our own path. We can wait for a leader to emerge or step forward and be a leader ourselves. We can lead unconsciously or with intent. But leaders and followers take note: you are establishing a reality and a direction that has far reaching consequences.
So who do you lead? And, who do you follow?
On Balance 