Leaders (Like Hobbits) Don’t Need an Army
We assume great leaders lead armies. That’s what we see in the movies. The trope is real. The leader can persuade the reluctant troops to sacrifice themselves, fight with valor, and, if necessary, die for the cause.
And there may be a few leaders like that. But, only a few. Most of us are not going to lead armies (nor do most of us want to). Most of us lead common things like the development team, the planning committee, or (raising the stakes a little here) our families.
I knew a guy who tried to lead everything as if he were Braveheart or General MacArthur. This is not a battle with blood and guts and death and glory. This is a board meeting. We don’t need to paint our faces blue. We don’t need an inspiring speech as we storm the gates of Mordor.
Leaders should be able to inspire hope and action without a heavy hand and trickery. There’s a huge difference between manipulation, imposition, and influence.
Some lead by manipulation.
Underhanded, clever, unscrupulous control from a position of power is reprehensible behavior, not leadership. The danger here is that it’s the smart ones who manipulate. By definition, manipulation is rarely detected. Manipulation is always checking its own press. Manipulation is a spin-doctor and an image-protector. Manipulation leadership is the ultimate narcissist. Guard against being a manipulative leader. Know yourself while seeking the best for others.
Some lead by imposition.
This is heavy-handed leadership. It’s using a position of authority and power to forcibly control and bend people into doing your will. Imposition will not allow for personal choice. It will not take part in free-thinking or individualism. Imposition is the leader who not only wants an army to do its bidding, it needs an army to get things done. Guard against being an impositional leader. Allow people to think for themselves. Empower people to act on their own.
Great leaders lead with influence.
There is a scene at the end of the Return of the King in which the entirety of Middle earth, including the king himself, takes a knee in honor of the hobbits. None of the Hobbits manipulated or imposed such honor upon themselves.
They did the work. They inspired (rather than commanded) armies. They changed the world for good and inspired others to do the same. There was no need to show brute force or use cunning words.