Why should someone be led by you?

I heard this long ago when I was just fresh out of college in one of the seminars and that sentence continues to get stuck on me till now like a bone in my throat. This is a question which sounds more philosophical at times, but has a very deeper meaning if we try to dig deep into it. I have pursued this question many a times in my own sessions to some of the senior corporate leaders and what I can hear is a few minutes of silence, and few giggles. Trust me I have never heard anyone giving me an instant answer that convinces them, me or any other audiences present in these sessions.

Now if you are reading this blog thinking that I will give you an answer to that , you are looking at a wrong place because there is no right or wrong answer to this.

A few thoughts that I think of along these lines are ,

• Why was someone lead by Jack Welch – His Charisma, his ability to anticipate, his ability to make tough decisions?
• Why was someone led by Gandhi- His concept of non violence, his ability to lead change through the basics?.
• Why was someone led by Hitler- His hatred towards certain races, his ability to instill false national pride?
• Why is someone lead by Osama- His ability to stir emotions of religion, his ability to motivate people to kill in the name of god?
• Why was someone led by Budhha- His ability to make things spiritual, sound simple, bring enlightenment?

Well all these people are so different, in their thoughts, their behaviours and the goals they pursued, yet all of them had and have followers . People follow them with faith sometimes blind faith , so what does it really mean for anyone to follow you?