Leaders and those who lead

I’ll start with quote from Simon Sinek famous TEDx speech (click here to view it): 

‘There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they're individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it's those who start with "why" that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.’ 


Starting with Why is so important because it defines a purpose. It defines our own fabric, what we are built of. I believe that those who lead happen to resonate on same frequencies of our most deep thoughts and feelings, and we just click – they inspire us, and we follow not them, but our deepest purpose built in with us.

I would like to offer some of the traits that I’ve seen to be the same in my opinion among some of those who lead, like Martin Luther or Mahatma Gandhi.

It seems there is personal humility in sense that their person is of no significance, but purpose they are standing behind is at first and foremost place in their life. They have no trouble walking among those who follow them, because they consider them in sense the same as themselves, gathered on idea, purpose, and big goal. They don’t expect admiration for their personality, but they do unite with those who follow easily about the same big thing they both pursue.

Then, they Lead by Example, they Practice what they preach. And that makes their proclaimed purpose believable for those who follow them, because they unite around that purpose, and as long those who lead are on that track, they have no problem to follow them.


Then, there is patience and perseverance. They are ready to take sacrifice for the cause. They are ready to suffer if necessary, because they strongly believe that purpose they try to achieve is bigger of any personal loss they could possible went through. Think for a minute about Gandhi and his struggle, and his readiness to go through all that in order to achieve freedom.


And for this short post, last thing I would like to emphasize is readiness to be wrong and admit that. Well, you can say it is being humble, and I already mentioned that. And that is true. But I think it is so rare trait these days that I believe only those who lead tend to really show it. Think about it. How many people do you know that readily admit their mistakes, take responsibility, and change course of actions? In my life I only met a few in person.

 So what are your thoughts?



l2i