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Sadly, history has shown the tragic consequences of leaders who take followers down the wrong path. History has also given us examples of people like Lech Walensa, who defied leaders and led others on a better path. In the words of Raymond Smith, a Bell Atlantic executive:

“Don’t make the mistake of confusing what a big company will tolerate with what it rewards. Taking the safe road, doing your job, and not making waves may not get you fired (right away, at least), but it sure won’t do much for your career, or your company over the long haul. We’re not dumb. We know that administrators are easy to find and cheap to keep. Leaders–risk takers–are in very short supply. And ones with vision are pure gold.”

ARE YOU PURE GOLD FOR YOUR MANAGER?
The irreverent management guru Tom Peters concurs when he encourages disobedience. If you’ve gone a whole week without demonstrating it, he asserts, you’re not doing anyone any good. Disobedience, of course, is not a willful breaking of rules without regard for consequences. As he defines it, disobedience means questioning decisions that that been made in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.

We’ve all heard that well-behaved women seldom make history. And history is made by people like physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei, who assures us, “In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the
humble reasoning of a single individual.” Even Nobel laureate Albert Einstein had this to say on the topic,
“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. ”

LEADERSHIP LESSONS
Don’t hesitate to define the path for others to follow. And, if you’re not in a leadership role on a particular project, willingly follow the path others have established. Unless……you worry the path may sidetrack others or may lead to a place that differs from the organizational mission.

Don’t hesitate to respectfully disagree. And, when others disagree with you, listen to them with an open mind.