Leading So People Will Follow

Why People Need to See This in Their Leaders

I’ve come to believe that the innate human capability we’re discussing in this book—ability to assess whether someone is a good leader—arose as a tribal survival mechanism. And the aspect of generosity that focuses on sharing knowledge is a good example. Ten thousand years ago when a leader discovered a better place to spend the winter, or a quicker, more efficient way to kill a bison, or a battle cry that was more chilling to the enemy and kept that knowledge to himself, he would endanger the continued survival of the group. Sharing it, so that many people knew it and could continue to pass it on, was a powerful way to help ensure the group’s survival.

Although our challenges and dangers are different ...