By Trophy Shapange
A good leader does not merely cast vision, they adapt their approach based on who is in the room.
While some followers are self-motivated, driven by purpose and potential, others require structure, deadlines, and the occasional colour-coded spreadsheet to stay on track.
This reveals an important truth: the success of leadership should not be judged solely by the charisma or authority of the leader, but by their ability to respond to the needs, nature, and readiness of their followers.
As part of my leadership development journey, I have drawn deep inspiration from two remarkable men, my father and my Godfather, who led our community side by side, guiding us toward unity and peaceful coexistence.
Their leadership was not built on dominance, but on respect, empathy, and service. What made their leadership particularly effective was their ability to adapt their approach based on who they were leading and the nature of the decision at hand.
They understood that not every situation required the same style, and not every person responded to the same form of guidance. By adjusting their strategy to suit the context and the people involved, they were able to lead with both wisdom and impact.
At home, my father had a rule that captured this philosophy perfectly: “If I cannot lead you, I will manage you.” And trust me, that was not a motivational quote, it was a survival warning. Looking back, we often wondered whether we were being raisedor project-managed.
That principle, humorous as it may seem, shaped not only our upbringing but also our personal development. It left a lasting impression on me, and today I find it increasingly relevant across all spheres of life, personal, corporate, and even political.
Leadership remains one of the most discussed, yet most misunderstood, concepts in these spaces. Too often, we define it by the person at the top, whether a CEO, president, team captain, or manager.
But leadership is not only about the figure in front; it is just as much about those who follow. Without them, leadership is incomplete. More importantly, it is defined and shaped by the type of followers it seeks to inspire or manage.
Let me be clear: the concept of “If I cannot lead you; I will manage youâ€, is not a failure of leadership, it is a response to the reality that not everyone is leadable.
Leadership is a two-way street. A leader can only lead those who are ready to be led. The rest must be managed.
We often romanticize leadership as a universal solution to all organizational and societal problems. “We need a new leader.†“The leader has failed us.†But how often do we reflect on the nature of the followers?
Have we cultivated a culture that welcomes leadership, that respects direction, accountability, and vision? Or do we merely exist to resist, complain, and deflect responsibility?
Leadership requires followership, but not just any kind, leadable followership. Being leadable means, you are teachable, adaptable, disciplined, and committed to a collective goal. It means you are willing to trust the process, give the benefit of the doubt, when necessary, and hold yourself accountable before pointing fingers.
In contrast, those who resist direction, question everything from a place of ego or insecurity, or simply show up without a willingness to contribute meaningfully, these individuals are not leadable. They can only be managed.
In essence, management is necessary when people lack internal discipline. It relies on rules, controls, deadlines, KPIs, and constant supervision. It is administrative, not transformational. Managing is about containment; leading is about liberation.
A team of leadable individuals allows a leader to focus on vision, strategy, and growth. A team that is unleadable forces the leader to constantly course-correct, micromanage, enforce discipline, and fix what should already be functioning.
This means that if you find yourself being managed, closely monitored, frequently corrected, or consistently excluded from strategic decisions, pause and reflect. It may not be about your leader at all. It might be about you.
And if you are open to guidance, take initiative without waiting to be told, accept feedback with a constructive attitude, and align yourself with the greater mission rather than doing the bare minimum, you demonstrate the qualities of a leadable individual.
Being led is a privilege. It means someone believes in your capacity to grow and contribute. Being managed is a necessity when trust, discipline, or initiative is missing. When your leader spends more time managing you than mentoring you, something is broken, and it may not be them.
Great leaders do not just lead, they adapt. They study their followers and respond accordingly. When they find people who are mature, visionary, and self-aware, they lead. They inspire, delegate, and elevate.
When they encounter people who are disorganized, resistant, or immature, they shift to management. They supervise, instruct, and contain.
This does not mean the leader has failed. It means the strategy has shifted. A shepherd does not lead wolves the way they lead sheep.
A general does not lead undisciplined recruits the way they lead battle-hardened soldiers. Leadership is about situational intelligence, not one-size-fits-all charisma.
Therefore, instead of constantly evaluating our leaders, perhaps it is time we evaluated ourselves. Are we leadable? Do we inspire leadership, or do we exhaust it? Are we aligned with the mission, or are we merely present for the paycheck or popularity? Organizations, families, and nations do not rise because of brilliant leaders alone. They rise because of the synergy between visionary leaders and mature followers. Both must be present. Both must grow.
It is easy to blame poor leadership. But sometimes, the problem is not that we lack good leaders. The problem is that we are not ready to be led. Until we make ourselves leadable, we will continue to be managed, supervised, and micromanaged, and we will call it oppression instead of self-inflicted limitation.
So, before you ask your leader to lead better, ask yourself: am I leadable, or merely manageable?
In leadership, as in life, the best outcomes are not created in isolation. They are coauthored by leaders who dare to lead and followers who dare to be led.
*Trophy Shapange is the Managing Director of Lebela Fund Managers. The views expressed in this article are his own and not those of his employer.
