1.4 A break is made with the way people act, think and feel
Leadership involves a break with the ways in which things have been done, thought and felt about up until that point. Because leadership is disruptive it inevitably means working in, with or against power. You cannot disrupt without challenging power in some way – it could be power that comes from wealth or status, or both. This does not mean that every act of leadership involves a fundamental, systematic revolution – disruption can be more or less dramatic, creating ripples, waves or tsunamis. Disruption can also come from anywhere within or outside formal organisations. Pressure groups and external campaigns can ‘lead’ established organisations to act in radically different ways. Workers, middle managers or executives can persuade organisations to change from within.
Leadership can feel dangerous, because you are entering unknown territory as you work together with other people. You can think of this process like working a muscle for the first time – it will feel novel, initially probably also somewhat painful, but the more you practise, the more you and the people you are working with will become accustomed to pushing out a little more. At some point you will hit the limit of what a group can tolerate. Rest, recuperate, and try again.