The picture show a sculpture in Las Colinas, a business area between Dallas Fort Worth Airport and the City in the USA. The sculpture has a wonderful story and depicts nine wild mustang horses. In the front is a young wild stallion, racing ahead, full of confidence. Between them two mares and their foals. But at the back is an old stallion. His position in the formation is interesting; he's protecting the group, keeping them safe, caring for them. His is a different type of leadership.
Like the Stallion in the picture great leaders put their ego aside and empower their team to aspire to the potential. They don't need to stand in front and be the centre of attention or lead with fear. That was the old business model, though sadly it still exists in many companies. But business models and ideas change over time. A few decades ago it was all about the leader and how they single handedly saved (or destroyed the company). Thankfully times have changed and good leadership today is about good stewardship. A really good leader has a clear vision of where they want to take the business and then communicates that vision with inspiring clarity.
A manager that can stand back and guide and empower the team is a confident leader. This type of leadership takes strength and a clear sighted ability to understand every aspect of the business and to enable a carefully chosen team to do its job.
Clarity is the key to it all. Clarity of purpose and well defined roles and responsibilities that dovetail carefully into the overall picture. This leads to an aligned organisation that is effective and efficient and has a better prospect of success and perhaps even sustainability.