The physics of leadership

Leading people is like getting an airplane to fly.

• Thrust must exceed drag. In flight, engines create thrust, air creates drag. In leadership, effort and skill create movement, people create resistance.
• Drag is a natural consequence of thrust. Applying thrust creates drag. Resistance is a natural consequence of leading people to higher standards and bigger goals. It’s not a problem. It’s just physics.
• Forward movement requires overcoming resistance. Pilots throttle up until thrust exceeds drag. Leaders increase effort and skill until they exceed resistance from people.
• Lift gets things off the ground. Planes need to generate lift to push them up into flight. Leaders need to create confidence to move people into action.
• Weight determines how much lift is required. Heavier planes need more lift and more thrust. Bigger leadership challenges need more confidence and more effort and skill.
• Expect resistance, don’t complain about it. Pilots expect drag. They understand it. They engineer for it. Great leaders expect resistance. They understand it. They lead through it.
• Resistance isn’t personal. Drag isn’t attacking the plane. Resistance isn’t attacking you. It’s the natural consequence of forward movement.

Real leaders don’t complain about resistance. They create more lift and apply more thrust. They don’t lead in spite of the resistance. They lead because of it.

Event + Response = Outcome. Do the work.