Are you walking alone ?
You probably cannot lead.
People don’t truly listen to you.
They won’t follow you.
They won’t trust you.
There is a reason for that : you have not singled out the bedrock of leadership. Because you’re trying too hard, you want it too bad. You want the features of leadership without having what’s at its core.
You’re fantasizing yourself as Julius Caesar or Cleopatra. Revered, admired and listened to. Believing that you have to work on some social skills - listening well, communicating, encouraging people - to become a great leader. It has nothing to do with that.
How to lead ?
“You lead by being willing to walk alone.” (Naval Ravikant)
Now, what does that mean ?
First, it means you are in motion. You take initiatives. You’re headed somewhere. Second, you are your own driving force. Despite what it may seem : this takes an incredible amount of energy.
Agreeing and aligning to others’ points of view is effortless. We do it most of the time. We simply follow. But oftentimes we arrive at a crossroads : should I keep following, or should I do what seems right to me ?
French noble family of Clermont-Tonnerre chose the following Latin motto : Etiam si omnes, ego non. (Even if all, not I).
It efficiently sums up the feeling of independence of a leader. That very feeling makes true leaders so rare : if you look close enough, you will find around you so many people burying their own opinions out of comfort, fear… and sometimes even cowardice.
Quite ironically, this Latin motto originates from a dramatic event in the gospels : as Jesus is being arrested, his closest and most loyal disciple Peter denies knowing him three times. Despite having previously said, "When everyone else would deny you, I will not."
Peter is just a man, his own sens of self-preservation pushes him towards following the others instead of doing what would be right. Jesus, on the other hand, reveals his divine nature by walking alone, carrying his cross through Jerusalem, where he will be crucified for remaining true to his preaching.
Leaders’ demise
I’ve known the myth of Orpheus for years, but I understood its symbolism just a few weeks ago.
Orpheus is to be married, to Eurydice. But tragically, on their wedding day, Eurydice is fatally bitten by a snake and dies. Overwhelmed by grief, Orpheus decides to journey to the Underworld to try and bring her back.
Armed with his lyre, Orpheus entered the realm of Hades. His music is so mesmerizing that it softens the hearts of the gods and moves the spirits of the dead. Impressed by his talent and his love for Eurydice, Hades agrees to let her return to the world of the living under one condition: Orpheus must walk in front of her and not look back until they both reach the surface.
With hope in his heart, Orpheus begins leading Eurydice out of the Underworld. However, consumed by doubt and fear, filled with love for her, he doesn’t resist the urge to glance back to ensure she is following him. At that moment, Eurydice, who is still in the realm of the dead, vanishes forever.
Heartbroken, Orpheus mourns the loss of his beloved and becomes inconsolable. He withdraws from the company of others and devotes himself to music, singing melancholic songs that express his grief and sorrow. The beauty and power of his music captivates a group of wild female followers of the god Dionysus. They become enraptured by his melodies but, in a frenzy, tear him apart in their delirium. Orpheus's head and lyre are thrown into a river.
In spite of all the superhuman efforts deployed by Orpheus, after literally going through hell, his woman - and later his own life - are lost forever. Why ?
Because his willpower flickers. As soon as he stops thinking about where he should go and starts seeking reassurance from others, all is lost. His strong love allowed him to descend into hell without turning back. But the same strong love diverted him from his true goal of escaping Hades’ realm.
The message is simple. The more you want something, the more you’re pushing it away from you.
Simply do what you have to do. And do everything for an end of itself.
Want to start a project ? Do it genuinely and wholeheartedly.
Want to speak in public ? Forget the audience.
Want to send a message to someone ? Send it regardless of how they react.
Want to post an Instagram story ? Post it and don't look at who watched it.
To you, who are reading these lines : I don’t care who you are. I don’t want to know. If I did, I could try to please you, to write what I believe you want me to write. The moment I would do that, Solve would become absolutely worthless.
Better to write the ideas as my mind shapes them.
Better to think for myself and be wrong than to outsource my thinking and be right.
If you want to lead, do what is right. And don’t turn back.
Paul
