Are you a leader or a follower?

Are You a Leader or a Follower?

Growing up in the South,
our mothers had a saying:

“If everybody jumped off a cliff…
would you jump too?”

And honestly,
that question stayed with me.

Because from an early age,
I learned the importance
of thinking for myself.

I’ve never really been the type
to follow crowds easily.

I march to the beat of my own drum.

But over time,
I also learned something important:

Being a leader
isn’t about needing to control everything.

And it’s definitely not about believing
you’re the smartest person in the room.

Real leadership looks different.

It looks like teaching.
Sharing knowledge.
Helping other people grow.

I’ve never been the kind of person
who believes in holding information hostage
for job security or personal advantage.

If I know how to do something,
I’ll teach it.

And if someone eventually becomes better at it than me?
I’m okay with that too.

Because everyone carries different gifts.

Different strengths.
Different talents.
Different ways of contributing.

And strong teams are built
when people stop competing with one another
and start helping each other succeed.

To me,
leadership is not about standing above people.

It’s about being willing
to walk beside them,
encourage them,
and help them grow.

Because true leaders
don’t create dependency.

They create more leaders.