Leadership's Gravity

Managers push or pull, leaders attract. People are attracted to a leader’s personality, or vision, or values, or accomplishments. People choose to follow a leader. Leadership is based on attraction not coercion.

Newton’s universal law of gravitation is relevant for those who would lead. Simply put, the law states that as the mass of either object increases, the force of gravitational attraction between them increases. If the mass of one object is doubled, the force of gravity between the two objects is doubled. As leaders increase what about themselves attracts their followers, the leaders will become more compelling to the followers.

There is a second aspect of the universal law of gravitation that is relevant to leadership. This part of the law states that as the separation between two objects increases, the weaker the gravitational force between them becomes. For leaders to remain in the lead they must stay connected with their followers. If leaders move too fast or become too far removed from the hopes, needs, and values of followers, those leaders risk loosing their gravitational force.

Both elements of the universal law of gravitation reinforce the relational nature of leadership. As leaders increase their attractiveness, their role as leader is enhanced. However, the leader’s role is strengthened even more if the followers become more than whom they were previously. According to Newton’s law, if the mass of both objects is doubled, the force of gravity between them is quadrupled. This means that leadership is strengthened more as all parties within the system—leaders and followers alike—grow. The second component of the universal law of gravitation suggests that the path of growth needs to be aligned. If leaders and followers grow in different directions, the leadership system will be pulled apart. It is the aligned growth of leaders and followers that is the source of leadership’s gravity.