How to Transform from a Follower into a Leader

Why leaders are pointy when they need to be

Picture from here

When the group needs someone to see around the corner, to find the way on an uncertain path, they need a person to lean forward into the less known. That person is brave enough to look, humble enough to realise they may not yet know, and diligent enough to work hard to find the answer everyone needs. At that time, the person who has leaned forward and found the way, fought for a path through the uncertainty. They will be the leader, and the group will follow.

Here’s the thing about leadership — it doesn’t really exist, well persist really, it is transient.

You’re like “wait, what?”.

The business adage; If you cannot measure it, it doesn’t exist. Well, leadership is nigh on impossible to measure. It is almost completely intangible.

You can only really measure followership (engagement numbers, their impact, etc.). Therefore, it is only followers and workers that exist all the time. And since leadership does not persist, then leadership can only ever be momentary, and every moment is a re-examination.

What do you mean, be pointy?

There are plenty of books out there about the rise of the generalist. David Epstien in his book ‘Range: Why Generalists triumph in a Specialist World’ espouses having broad interests and knowledge is more important than real depth of knowledge.

I am talking about being opposite to this, but only in a micro way. I am talking about the fact that if leadership is momentary, then it is dependent on whether you have followers at that point in time. You cannot measure a leader, but by their followers.

You get followers at that moment by having a piece of information or clarity on a situation, that others do not. Then you can be effective and motivational in how you communicate it.