Who Leads? Who Follows?

Organizations must adapt or, eventually, case to exist. The most effective leadership of a business, therefore, is that which initiates and fosters the most effective adaptation. But adaptation is change, and change is seen by most people as risky. There’s no way around it. So why would a mid- or lower-tier employee risk change and its consequences? Only because of a burning belief that things might be bettered if he takes the risk, because he feels a margin of safety in doing so, and because he feels supported in the endeavor by the company’s authority figure. It’s the creation and maintenance of those circumstances that Dick Cross calls leadership. A brief excerpt from Just Run It!: Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think.