Once upon a time, leadership was simple.
You gave orders. People obeyed.

Factories ran. Ships sailed. Things got done.

Then, some of us wanted more.
And so, we invented incentives.

We built systems of carrots and sticks.

And it worked.

Factories ran faster.
Ships sailed more often.
Things got done more efficiently.

Until people got used to the incentives.
And stopped caring.

The bravest of us stepped up.
“We’re leading the way,” they said.

Be the example. Be the vision.

And it worked.
People followed.

But only while the leader was there.

All three models have the same fundamental flaw.
The leader decides what’s right.
They’re the ones having the answers.
They’re the ones to go first.

But the moment they can’t, it breaks down. The moment things become too complex for one person to figure it all out, it stops working.

The next stage is different.
It’s called lighting the path.

Leaders stop becoming the source of wisdom.
And start becoming the director of wisdom.

It’s not about being the most brilliant person in the team.
It’s about tapping into the brilliance of everyone in the team.

The goal is not for the team to follow.
But to align the collective brilliance of the team.
So we can arrive at places, no one could ever reach alone.

Which means your most important job is now communication.
Lighting the path through your words so everyone sees:

→ This is where we’re going.
→ This is why it matters.
→ This is why it’s gotta be us.

Communication used to explain the work.
It now is the work.

To communicate so clearly that it creates an irresistible pull: “This is the way to go”.

That’s what modern leaders do.

They find the words that make this possible.

If this is how you see leadership, I think you‘ll absolutely love my new newsletter “What the Best Leaders Say,” which will launch soon.

Keep lighting the path,
Michael