5.17 Tom Peters: Leaders Create More Leaders

“The best leaders don’t create more followers, they create more leaders.” - Tom Peters

Would you follow yourself?

I had a teammate in college who was so confident in himself that when you played with him, you felt like you could beat anyone. But not only was he good and confident, he worked hard, and it inspired the rest of us to work harder; he talked on and off the court, leading us to do the same, and he was a genuinely good person and teammate, so we fell in line.

We often think leadership means being the top scorer, the loudest in the locker room, or the person we look to in clutch moments, but true leadership is more than that.

We were better leaders because of the leadership qualities my teammate modeled.

Author and management expert Tom Peters once said, “The best leaders don’t create more followers, they create more leaders.” Leaders make everyone around them better.

Culture is a team sport, and great teams aren’t built on one voice but on many. The best leaders motivate and inspire others to rise up, speak up, and do the right thing, the right way, at the right time.

Do you make the people around you better? Do you set the standard for how to train, handle adversity, and treat others?

Anyone can lead. You don’t have to be the team captain or best player. You just need to commit to doing things the right way and for the right reasons, no matter what is going on around you.

Question of the Day: Are you someone other people should follow?