BE The Invitation To Something Different

In July of 2018, three days before our last Zimbabwean elections, I wrote an article entitled “Are You A Leader, Or Are You Just Taking A Walk?” which spoke to what it takes to get people to follow you through a journey towards a destination — be that at home or at work, on a new project or to a new destiny. Often, passionate leaders who’ve dwelled on their dream for a long while take off in the direction of that dream without making sure they’ve instilled the same vision and energy in the people they’d like to come along with them, and without looking back to make sure that those people are following.

Leadership intimates that, in order to be a leader, you must have followers; and that communication is a large component of the success of any leadership.

However, I’m also an advocate for the theory that you don’t have to lead from the front or the top. That anyone can lead from any position by virtue of choice — the choice to be a leader. Some leaders lead from the front, standing as a larger-than-life beacon to those they inspire. Other leaders act quietly from within a team, and some even do so alone. In this regard, leadership is a stance and a personal choice that doesn’t necessarily require followers.

One thing leadership does require though, is that you first lead yourself.

Before you can lead others, you must choose to embody the traits, characteristics and ideals of a leader. You…