A previous post promised that I’d explain my leadership style. But first a reality check: this is an ongoing progress. I’m still working through my thoughts on how, exactly, I lead. I’m still learning.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “lead, follow, or get out of the way.” It’s a clever saying, but it is incomplete. The part I especially dislike is that “get out of the way” is not the only other option.
My leadership style is better expressed as “lead, follow, or go your own way.”
Many say that leadership is defined as having followers. There are well respected people who define leaders this way. It’s usually correct, but I don’t think it’s complete. Throughout history a lot of people have been leaders but very much alone.
For instance, there is the prophet. A prophet does not always have followers; being outside of society can be quite lonely. So to some a prophet is not always a leader. But a prophet is hardly what one would call a follower. Nor do prophets “get out of the way.” Just the opposite, actually.
Prophets go their own way because they see a future the rest of us do not see. I know a few folks like this. I relish my friendship with them because there is a wholeness to their voice.
Then there are artists. They often come close to “getting out of the way” because they tend to work privately. Yet the product of their work definitely does not get out of the way; it has the creative power to shape and change the world. I love artists because, like prophets, they see things differently than the rest of us.
I don’t have a good word to describe the third kind of person who goes their own way, so let’s just call them “freestarters” (I know that’s not a word, but it’s my blog). A freestarter is somebody who has the zeal of an entrepreneur, the creativity of an artist, and they see what the future can be just as a prophet does.
Here’s an image that might help you understand what I mean. Say a group of people are walking down a country road. Lost and confused, they come to an intersection. Do they go to the right or the left? A leader might say, “Let’s go this way.” Or a team leader might say, “Let’s spend a few moments as a group figuring out which way to go.” A follower then follows because they sense wisdom in the leadership or because they are fearful to do anything else. I suppose a few people might “get out of the way” by simply stopping where they are and waiting for somebody to come by and help them.
But a freestarter engages in the decision making process, listens to the ideas about how to proceed, and then does the unexpected — they leave the road and cut through the fields. Nobody follows them. Most think they are kind of crazy.
A freestarter sees or senses the alternative option that isn’t on the map. They do not ridicule the decision of the others, but they do feel compelled to live by that decision. Nor are they afraid to head in a different direction. An odder direction. Often a riskier direction.
Freestarters do not fit into a neat mold. In some ways, they are a leader because they help define reality. But by one definition they are not a leader because they seldom have followers — the path they choose is simply too hard, too new, or too different for people to follow.
They are definitely not a follower. Do they get out of the way? Perhaps, but not in the sense that the cliche offers: they are not passively sitting by the side of the road waiting for rescue.
Most talented freestarters eventually become leaders. The path they choose is often the right direction, and there’s no better way to gain followers than to be right. But that’s only temporary, because eventually a freestarter jumps off the path again and pursues a new direction, leaving the followers to ask, “What now?”
As you might guess, I’m most often a freestarter. But life is not that simplistic. I’m often a leader in the traditional sense. Often a follower as well. And I confess there are times when I simply get out of the way.
But where my passions connect with life is in the role as freestarter. I’m happiest when I choose the option to go my own way. I love the independence, the creativity, and the sheer joy of exploring the unknown.